The Mask Master
by The Time Stop Corporation
Summary: Sequel to A Second Chance. Link is lost without Navi. One of his desperate searches for her leads him to Termina, where he comes across a mysterious Skull Kid wearing a powerful mask. His journey for her becomes waylaid as he fights against ancient magic and comes to term with his demons.
1. Chapter 1

Time Stop: Hello.

Wang: It's me.

Static: It's "us" not "me."

Wang: But the song!

Shadow: So, uh, hey.

Time Stop: After much deliberation –

Wang: And too much caffeine!

Time Stop: – we decided to continue on our whole story thing.

Wang: So this is a continuation of A Second Chance! That's our previous Legend of Zelda fic!

Shadow: So read that one first. Or don't. Whatever.

Static: Shadow…

Shadow: What? It's not like we aren't going to do a recap in the first chapter anyways.

Static: _silent_

Shadow: What? It's true. Most good stories do that anyway.

Time Stop: Anywho, this is going to be the second of this little series.

Wang: This is gonna be a series? _gasps over dramatically_

Static: We can talk about that later, Wang.

Wnag: Okay!

Shadow: As usual, we don't own Legend of Zelda.

Chapter 1: Uncertain Future

A half a season had passed, and spring had slowly died into summer. A young boy just around ten fought against a red headed girl his age in the Sacred Meadow. He swung his sword quickly, using his shield to deflect against the twin daggers that jabbed at him in rapid succession. And despite it being mid-morning, neither one of them bothered to even acknowledge the food that Saria laid out for them. The Kokiri watched them sadly as they fought in silence.

It had been like that since Navi left them. Link refused to break camp, and spent many days in the Lost Woods looking for his dear friend. As for Nadai, she too searched for their lost fairy friend. But Navi couldn't be found anywhere. And for a fairy to right out leave it's Kokiri like that was unheard of. Well, Link couldn't exactly be considered a biological Kokiri but it didn't matter; the bond between the two of them was real. Something important must have happened to Navi. That or something dangerous.

She glanced down at the wood in her hands. Using the special fairy wood she had constructed Nadai a flute. But when she met them once again months ago she had her old dagger-flute again. It had taken both Link and Nadai several days to completely tell her what had happened to them. Time travel? Her a sage? Navi gone? They were in love?

Well, the last one she could understand, but only a little. What she did understand was that they had a destiny ahead of them that couldn't be erased. And that they needed to stay hidden from the evil King Gannondorf. Though why he called himself King was beyond her. The Princess was rumored to still be alive, and the people didn't take kindly to his kingship.

But that led her back to her carving. Link had no ocarina, and Saria wanted to remake Nadai's flute. So, she came out to her special spot to watch over her two young friends. She whittled and watched and watched and whittled. And every day they would fight until they were exhausted, then ate, then hunted for Navi in the same spots as before.

When you thought about it, it did make her sad.

A loud shout caused her to look up at the fighters. As usual, it was Link who had lost. While he had trained with the best of the best in order to become strong enough to defeat Gannondorf, Nadai still had more years of training on him. They stared at each other for a while; him lying on his back and her standing over him. Eventually, as if they could talk to each other telepathically, they both reached out a hand to the other.

"That's almost seventy straight wins." Link muttered. He brushed at his tunic to wipe away the dirt as best he could.

"Almost. You could still win." Nadai smirked. "Perhaps in seven years or so."

Link groaned. "I could win if we were adults."

"But we aren't." Nadai's smirk faded. "Not anymore."

Partly to save Link's life, and partly to restore the timeline, Zelda had sent Link, Nadai, and Navi back in time to their childhood. Though, whether or not that was true depended on what Link and Nadai had told her. Saria shook her head. All of this time travel talk got her confused.

Link sat down in front of Saria and began stuffing his face. He kept his eyes downcast, and no sound other than loud chewing could be heard from his mouth. Nadai and Saria exchanged knowing glances. He became like that all too quickly. If he wasn't fighting, his mind would turn to his lost friend and where she could be. Nadai sat down slower than Link, and also ate her share. Saria returned to her whittling. Only the occasional sound of the birds could be heard.

"I'm going to look for Navi." Link got up suddenly.

Saria winced. "Link, I think—"

"I'm going to try under the bridge again, and try to branch out from there."

"— that it might be time to stop."

Link turned to her. "What?"

"Navi is a smart fairy. She wouldn't have left without a good reason."

"I'm her Kokiri." Link stubbornly repeated the same point that he had time and time before. "Why would she leave?"

"We don't know. We have to trust her."

"But what if she is captured by Gannondorf? I have to free her."

"He's busy enough to deal with his new kingdom." Nadai pointed out. "He isn't going to worry about us right now. We're too far beneath him."

Link grunted in anger, and spun about, taking a few steps. "I just can't wait here for nothing." He said softly. "It'll be too much like giving up."

"No it isn't." Nadai got up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know how you feel. Navi—"

"Isn't dead." Link cut her off. "She can't be. I'd know if it was." He shot her a pained look. "I know her far too well for that."

He started out down the stairs.

"Link!" Nadai called out. But he kept on going. She started after him, but a call from Saria stopped her.

"Let him go."

The former Gerudo turned to the Kokiri. "I don't want to leave him alone."

"Time alone is what he needs right now." Sarai smiled sadly. She held out the instrument to Nadai. "Here, now both of you have Fairy Instruments now."

Nadai took the flute and slipped it into her pocket. "I don't understand."

"Understand what?"

"He – Link feels different to me."

"Different?" Saria patted the stump next to her and the girl sat down. "Like bad different?"

"Different different." Clarified Nadai. "The final battle against Gannondorf changed him. Made him…colder? Is that the word?" She nodded. "Yeah, colder."

"Colder?"

"Well, in the Water Temple, I watched Link as he came to terms with the evil inside of him. He fell, not literally mind you, but more spiritually and emotionally. At that point I didn't know if he would become a monster or a man and it frightened me. But bit by bit he came back to the light. He became the man I fell in love with. And, well, he wasn't cold anymore. He could feel again, not like he could've before."

"So he's at that point again?"

"I don't think so. Navi leaving us did something to him, but the look in his eyes changed after the battle against Gannondorf. He seemed decades older. And sadder. And more frightened."

"Frightened?"

"Like he has this terrible secret that he wants to tell someone but he can't." Nadai looked at the stairs where her love had run off to. "And I want to be there for him but right now I can't. And that hurts."

Saria reached out and moved the red hair out of Nadai's eyes, revealing watery blue eyes threatening to flood. "I know it hurts." She whispered. "There are some things we can't heal."

Nadai jerked her arm sleeve over her eyes, wiping away unfallen tears. "But there should. We should be able to heal them." She whispered.

Saria nodded. "If only." She followed Nadai's gaze to the stairs. "Give him some time alone. He needs to think."

Nadai nodded and sat in silence next to her friend.

Time to think was the last thing that Link needed.

He knew that Nadai suspected something. But if he could only tell her just what that something was.

Years ago, Link had fallen to his death. A third form of Gannondorf had surprised him, and knocked him away. In doing so, the man known as Link failed his mission against evil and everything he sacrificed to become a hero became worthless. At the last possible moment he was saved. By sacrificing their lives, Rauru and the other sages brought him to the Sacred Realm and away from death.

It was at that moment that the three Goddesses gave him a choice. Fight Gannondorf as he was, or go back to the beginning and redo the entirety of his quest. The only stipulation was that he couldn't talk to anyone about it, or otherwise the world as he knew it would end. He chose the latter, and he and Navi went back in time to the past.

However, things were now different. He ran into Nadai who tried to kill him. He defeated her somehow and in doing so lost all of his memories. Those memories of his past life were then locked deep away in his mind, and he would come to a blank conclusion whenever he thought about it. And yet there were times when the answer to a problem came in a dream from those memories of his. Other times he would get a resounding headache that wouldn't go away no matter what he did.

That headache eventually turned into a head splitting reopening of his past during the last battle against Gannondorf. In doing so he remembered everything from that time. Which included how different a character he was in his past life versus his current one. Which also led to the realization that Navi's brains about the world around her was because she could tap unhindered into her own past life's memories.

Navi knew. She knew about his past life and didn't tell him. Link gritted his teeth. Promises be damned, he needed to talk to her about that more than ever. She knew of his past life. She knew what kind of monster he had been…had become.

While his mind was full of dark memories of his past and happier ones of his present, it brought about a lot of confusion and fear. Was he the Link from the past, or the Link from the now, or was he in some sort of in between? Could be called a man anymore? Or was he a monster?

Link looked down at his ten year old self. Of course he couldn't exactly be called a man physically, but the point still held true. His mind hadn't mentally grown up like his body had after the seven year time warp. And once his mind finally adjusted to being an adult he was now a kid again. Link looked up at the sky and the clouds lazily going by. He would always consider himself an adult.

He stopped, then grimaced, then moved on quickly.

Being an adult meant taking care of certain problems. And while said problems were ignored during the weeks before the final battle, they were now heavily present in his mind. But now he and Nadai were both children. Was it even possible for them to do that in their current forms? He grunted as he tripped over an unexpected rock, rolling on his back to come up on his feet.

That was a particular problem that could only be answered with Nadai; if he could only muster up the courage to talk to her about that kind of thing.

Link laughed aloud. "Courage?" He said to himself. "Now that's a joke." He took a step forward. "I hold at least half of the Triforce of Courage, and yet I don't have the will to talk to my love." He stopped moving. "How the hell can I be courageous?"

The ground under him gave away and he fell.

Link reached out to grab at a root or a rope or grass or a rock or something to slow his descent but nothing came to reach. He had searched the Lost Woods over and over again and only now this mysterious hole decided to envelope him?

The walls of the tunnel opened up wider and wider and Link found the slope decreasing bit by bit. One hand gripped the Kokiri Sword and the other the Hylian Shield. He couldn't quite get his footing. So instead of running or stopping his momentum he slid on his back. He kicked down with his feet and grasped at the earthen walls as best he could until he began to slow down. Before he fully stopped he saw light up ahead. He stopped as he reached the mouth of the tunnel.

"Where am I?"

The mysterious hole led him to a forest, one in which giant trees sprouted and the air was as calm and still as nothing else Link had felt. It reminded him of the stale air of the Forest Temple, only cleaner and fresher. And the light in here, it was dimmer than the light he felt in the Lost Woods. He couldn't tell if it was the trees blocking out the sun or something bigger and more terrifying. A shiver ran up his spine but he fought down the fear. He had faced worse.

"What part of the Lost Woods is this?" Link muttered. Taking his sword he etched an arrow pointing straight forward. "I'll go further in I guess." He spoke to himself. "I'll follow my arrows back home before dark."

Link finished the arrow and kept his sword in hand. He gulped and started walking into the mysterious woods.

"He should be back by now." Nadai repeated for the tenth time. "It isn't like him to get lost in these woods."

She had been saying it for hours now, but now as night started to fall Saria had to agree. "He can still warp you know." She reminded gently. "He has his ocarina."

"Then why isn't he back then?" Nadai asked. "This isn't like him." She whispered.

"Give it a little more time."

"I'm going to look for him." Nadai bent down and collected what gear they had. "I won't be back until I found him."

Saria nodded. "Then I'll see you when you come back then." She replied. "Play my song if you need guidance."

Nadai nodded her thanks. She hiked the bag high onto her shoulder and set off at a run. Even at her young age she could out run and outpace most things in Hyrule. If Link had run off or had gotten into trouble she should be able to catch up to them soon. And she ran through the paths that had become so familiar to her the past several months. She stopped almost as soon as she set out. Just outside of the Sacred Meadow and several turns about lay a small hole that shouldn't have been there before.

"Huh?"

She leaned down to the hole and peered inside. It was deep, and it wasn't lit by any torches or by magic. She took out her flute and played a quick scale. The familiar notes flew through her mind and almost caused her to cry. There had been too many things that had happened to Link and herself the last few days of their adult lives. Too many things and not enough time to reflect on it.

Particularly for her was Gannondorf. She didn't like the Gerudo as much as Link did. Perhaps even more. If what Gannondorf had told them was true, then…

No. She had to hope that the man was lying to her. She had to hope that wasn't true. And if it was…

"Nadai? What happened?" Saria's voice called out to her.

Nadai shook her head, bringing her back from the past. While she was no longer a Gerudo, Gerudo's don't dwell on the past; old habits die more easily than she had once thought.

"Um, I found some sort of hole. I don't have any clue where it leads."

"I hole?"

"Yeah. It's in a different part of the woods. And I've been here before, there hasn't been a hole here, at least not until today."

"Interesting." Saria mused. "Do you think Link—"

"Yes." Nadai sighed. "I'm going to go in. I'll play the song again in a bit."

"I'll wait here for you." Saria called.

The spell ended. Nadai put the flute back into her pack. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she jumped in.

Time Stop: Please Review!

Wang: Pssst! That's why Saria was there after seven years, she promised you that she would wait for you!

Static: Really?

Shadow: Oh hell no. Wang's making stuff up again.


	2. Chapter 2

Wang: All hail Scrub Lord!

Shadow: …What are you doing?

Wang: All hail Scrub Lord!

Static: Just let him be.

Wang: All hail Scrub Lord!

Shadow: But—

Time Stop: We don't own a thing, as usual.

Wang: All hail Scrub Lord!

Chapter 2: One thing leads to another

She flew through the tunnel. At first it was a terrifying free fall, but eventually it evened out enough for her to catch her footing. She ran and skipped and jumped down the rest of the tunnel which slowly became a large cave. She stopped at the mouth of the cave stood still. All around her stood tall, pale trees. A low mist hung in the sky. And while there should have still been light out, it looked to her more like the sun had set for the day.

"Where did he go?" Nadai whispered. Her voice died just outside of her lips, the mist and fog smothering it.

She pulled out her Fairy Flute. She brought it to her lips and played Saria's Song. She waited a moment. She played the song again. A nervous panic filled her eyes; the song wasn't working. After playing for a third time she put the flute away. Some sort of magic kept her from Saria. Was it the same one that got Link?

Perhaps for the first time since leaving the desert, she felt alone. No Link for her. No Navi to guide her. She couldn't even contact Saria. She was alone. She shuddered, then grimaced.

"Since when did I get so scared from loneliness?" She sat down.

From her new angle she could see an arrow in the dirt pointing straight into the forest. It was clean cut, and made that day.

"Link?" She whispered.

Her mind raced a mile a minute. If Link had made that arrow, maybe he wasn't taken here. Maybe he had fallen through the hole suddenly, or decided that Navi could be down in the hole and went to investigate. Maybe when he made it out of the cave he took a look around and made an arrow to find his way back if he got lost. Or maybe someone or something did take him and those arrows were for more unfortunate victims.

Nadai shook her head and yawned. Some sort of magic was in these woods. It drained her energy, it caused her to feel sluggish and sleepy. She put weight on her legs but they already were asleep. Before she could protest her eyes closed and her head hit the ground.

He opened his eyes. He lay on the ground face first to the grass. He breathed in and blinked. Then it came to him. He had gotten lost? No, he had fallen asleep on his way back to the cave. Some sort of magic spell. Link shook his head and got up on his hands and knees. There was a familiar sound behind him and he whipped his head around.

There stood a skull kid, hunched over something that had made that sound. The skull kid laughed and giggled and repeated the sound. Two fairies flew alongside his head. One was clothed in an unusual purple while the other was in a more traditional creamy-white. Link got to his feet, resting his hand on his sword.

"Give me back my Ocarina." He said, his voice hoarse. The skull kid stopped moving and giggling. "Give me back my Ocarina." Link repeated stronger.

"He's up!"

"The magic wore off!"

"What do we do?"

Link ignored the fairies and kept his attention on the skull kid. The skull kid turned to look at him, holding the Fairy Ocarina in one hand. He wore a strange purple mask with bright yellow eyes. He turned his head slightly.

"Why?"

"Because it isn't yours." Link refrained his anger. "Now give it back."

The skull kid looked at both of his fairies. "I don't feel like it."

Link drew his sword. "Last chance before I take it from you."

"Skull Kid!"

"Just give it to him!"

"Show him whose boss!"

The skull kid laughed. "I'd actually like to see you try."

Link stepped forward and thrusted in a blink of an eye. While his body wasn't anywhere near the physical capabilities of his adult self, he could still move and hit hard. To his surprise the skull kid shot backwards and went into midair. Link stared at him, his mouth slightly open.

"What? Is that all you can do?" The floating skull kid mocked.

In the instant Link charged forward the kid flew backwards. What Link had thought would be an easy fight suddenly turned into a very un-merry chase through the strange woods. Not even a few seconds into the chase and Link realized the truth of the matter. He wouldn't be able to catch the skull kid, not unless he ran out of energy to fly. At his current speed, he was too slow. His only hope was to out-endurance the thief and take him on then. But as the chase went slowly uphill, and went longer and longer, Link began to worry that there might not be an end to this skull kids magical reservoirs.

In between the trees he spotted a clearing up ahead. The skull kid moved fast and disappeared into a hole halfway up a giant tree. Link kept up the pace. Several stumps stood in the clearing. Link hardly paused to notice their clean cuts as he propelled himself from one stump to the next. The hole in the tree was taller than he could reach without the added height of the stumps.

He landed in the hole and rushed forward. He failed to notice the gaping hole right below him. He looked up, expecting the skull kid above him but saw only the dim light of the opening. He turned his head below and drew his sword. It was pitch black. He couldn't even see his sword, much less what was ahead of him.

All too suddenly he hit something hard. More specifically he hit water. He plunged underneath and almost breathed in water in surprise. He pushed himself off the floor and rocketed to the surface where he breathed in deep. He reached about and his sword touched something. Swimming to it he grabbed hold of the edge of the pool and he got up and sat on it.

"Where the hell am I?"

"You are a frustrating person."

Lights came on and blinded Link. When he could see he saw the skull kid floating in between two bright torches.

"No one has made it this far. I should commend you."

"What do we do?"

"What's next?"

The skull kid jerked his head to the side, as if listening to something. "I see. You could be dangerous." He spoke to himself.

"What are you talking about?" Link stood up. "I'm right here."

"Yes, yes you are." The skull kid clapped his hands. "The last unfortunate soul to fight against me was a little deku scrub. A little knight trying to protect the princess. You remind me of that scrub."

"I'm not a scrub!"

"Are you sure?" The mask began to glow. "Are you sure?"

Link crumpled over in pain. He felt his very bones crack and shift in his body. He began to shrink in size. His bones popped and snapped and he screamed out in pain. He clawed at his skin as it hardened into solid wood. He reached out for his sword but found that his hands had shrunk to little knobby ends. He looked down at the water as the pain began to stop.

He had been turned into a scrub!

"Are you sure you aren't a scrub?" The skull kid laughed. "You look like one to me!"

Link brought his knobby hands to his face, and met a hole which dominated where his nose and mouth once were. "Turn me back!" He shouted. His voice was higher pitched. How the hell did he just speak?

"This suits you much better." The skull kid began floating backwards. "Enjoy your new life, scrub!"

The skull kid flew backwards and around a bend. One of his fairies, the purple clad one, laughed and followed right behind him. The cream colored fairy hesitated before inching closer to Link.

"What did he do?"

Link found that he had fallen onto his butt, and picked himself back up again. "He made me change my shape. How the hell did he do that?" He walked slowly around the pool of water to the torches. "What kind of black magic did he use for that? Not even Gannondorf could do something like that."

"Oh, what did he do?" The fairy spoke again.

"I mean, yeah, he could change his body into a demon pig monster but he didn't change myself or Nadai. Is this skull kid even stronger in magic than Gannondorf? Is that even possible?"

Link looked up at the fairy, noticing her for the first time. He shot out with his stubby arm and grabbed her, bringing her close to his eyes. "You were with the skull kid, right? Why stay?"

"I – I – I – I – I – I –"

"I'm not really in the mood for niceties. Where is that skull kid?"

"Like I should know!" The fairy broke free of Link's weak grip. "I wasn't exactly watching where he was going, now was I?"

"Fair." Link looked ahead to the tunnel. "Then where would he be?"

"I don't know. Probably in Clock Town. He likes to be on top of the tower."

"What tower? Clock Town?"

"Yeah. Clock Town. Center of Termina." The fairy shook her head. "Didn't you know that?"

Link stared at the ground. He was in Termina. Could Navi be here? It would make sense if she was. Not that it made sense that she was gone, but that didn't matter.

"Have you seen a fairy? Someone from Hyrule?"

"Uh, no I haven't."

Link sighed. "Fine. Top of the tower. Alright."

He ran into the tunnel. The cream colored ball of light followed him. "Hey!"

He slowed down as he came to a bright pink flower. "What?"

"Listen, can I go with you?"

If Link had eyebrows to raise he would have raised them in surprise. "Go with me?"

"Yeah."

"Why would I want that? I want my own body back, and having you around won't help me."

"But what if I vouch for you?" Link turned to look at her. "I mean it. What if I talk to Skull Kid and tell him to turn you back to normal?"

"I highly doubt that talking to him will do much."

"But I'm his friend!"

"And he left you here all alone." Link pointed out.

"Th-that doesn't matter."

"Uh, it does." Link looked ahead and found himself in front of a gap, with the tunnel continuing on the other side. "How can he be your friend if he leaves you like that?"

The fairy was silent. Link shook his head and looked about. There wasn't a bridge across the gap. He could see a floor below, but he doubted that the skull kid would have went down there. And even if he did, he didn't know if he could even fall down that far with this body of his.

"Y-You can use the flower!" The fairy spat out.

"What?"

"Deku Scrubs use that flower to float between places. I've seen them do it before."

Link looked at his feet and at the flower. "This thing?"

"Yeah."

"I can't use this I'm not a scrub."

"Yes, you are." The fairy got in his face. "So you might as well use it."

Link narrowed his eyes. "And how am I supposed to even get inside this flower?"

The fairy rammed herself into his face. He stepped back, surprised by the force that she put on him. In doing so, his feet fit perfectly into the flower's small opening. It sucked him in.

"Gah!" Link shouted. He pushed with his legs with as much strength as his deku body could give him. He shot back out into the air and landed on the flower. "What the hell was that!"

"That flower coats Deku Scrubs with a special pollen. It allows them to float in the air for a short period of time before it floats away. The pollen, I mean." The fairy crossed her arms over her chest. "You can use that to float to the other side of this gap."

Link narrowed his eyes. "Why help me?"

"Cause I want to see Skull Kid! And you might be the fastest way to get there. Well, you might be the only person who wants to see him."

"Not the only one." He amended. "You want to see him to."

"Yeah…"

"Alright. You can come with until I get my body back." He sighed. "And then you can go back to Skull Kid, or whatever his name is."

"His name is Skull Kid!"

"That's it?" Link sat at the edge of the flower and put his feet in. "Usually skull kids have their own name. Like Percy, or Dolores."

He was sucked into the flower. He felt the pollen collect on his wooden body and on his clothes. When he felt that he was fully coated he pushed as hard as he could with his wooden legs. He shot high into the air, and hung there for a moment. Unsure of what to do, he waved his arms and legs, and he moved slowly but surely through the air.

"There you go!" The fairy was beside him.

He could make out the ground below him. There was a gradual dip in his descent and he slowed above the other ledge. It seemed all at once that the remaining pollen left him, and he fell. He landed on his feet. To his surprise, while he didn't land in his customary roll he didn't take any pain.

He entered the next tunnel, the fairy following him. All was dark. Soon enough he came back into the light. It was a large cavern, with another bottomless pit. Here and there were small islands dotted with the flowers. On the other side of the cavern was the exit via another tunnel.

"Hey."

Link turned to the fairy. "What?"

"My name's Tatl." The cream colored fairy said.

"Link." The deku nodded his head.

The fairy nodded. "Link…Thanks for taking me with you."

"Come on, let's keep moving."

The former Hylian dropped into the first flower, waited a moment, and shot into the air.

Her eyes snapped open. Where was she? She bound to her feet. Right, the tunnel, and then the sleepiness. "Link!" Nadai whispered. She glanced back down at the arrow. Without a second thought, she ran in the direction of the arrow.

Every so often she would spot an arrow, or a sign of Link's passage. While the former Kokiri was adept at travel and in hiding his passage from others, that was not the first thing in his mind. Bent blades of grass and footprints through the mud were easy enough for Nadai to spot. That included the spot where Link had fallen asleep.

She stopped. Someone else was here too. She studied the markings on the ground. There was a fight? With who? Against who? Then Link's tracks headed away from the arrows. He was running towards something, or away from something.

She followed his tracks once again uphill. The trail weaved in and out of trees, heading deeper and deeper into the strange woods. Then she spotted the clearing. The tracks ended there.

"Damn!" She looked about and found the opening in the trunk.

She leapt up and pushed off a stump. In one massive push she made it to the opening. She peered inside and found an endless hole into the darkness. Without a second thought she flung herself into the pit. She fell endlessly, until the darkness brightened. She plopped into water and surfaced quickly. She pulled herself ashore and found herself in a strange place.

"There's only one way to go now." She looked at the tunnel ahead. "Link must've gone this way." She drew her daggers and headed into the mystery of what lay ahead.

Wang: …Scrub Lord isn't as cool as I thought he would be.

Shadow: What did you expect? A god?

Wang: I dunno, something a little more grand and a little less fuzzy.

Static: How is the Scrub Lord fuzzy?

Wang: He just is, okay?

Static: Oh-Kay.

Time Stop: Please Review!


	3. Chapter 3

Static: So now we can progress with this story.

Wang: Whadaya mean progress?

Time Stop: He means that after this chapter we can start adventuring.

Wang: Huh?

Shadow: Remember, all of this is like ten minutes, tops, of the actual game.

Wang: This is a game!?

Static: Oh dear.

Time Stop: We don't own a thing, remember that.

Chapter 3: You've met with a terrible fate haven't you?

"He looks like you." Tatl whispered.

Link turned to look at the stump. If he looked closely enough, he could see a face, warped in pain. "That's not me. I'm not a…" His voice trailed off. Yes he was. He wasn't a Hylian anymore. He was a scrub. A scrub until he got his hands on that Skull Kid.

He entered the next room, to a glowing purple wall.

"What's this?"

Tatl shrugged. "I haven't seen anything like that before. There's normally a hole here leading to the field, so I have no idea why this thing's here."

"It could be a trap." Link brought his wooden hand close to it. It wasn't warm or cold. "I wouldn't put it past him."

"I don't think it's a trap."

"And you thought he wouldn't do this to me, now did you?"

Tatl went silent. Link put his hand on the wall. It gave a little to his touch. He pushed harder against it and the wall bent slightly inward. He brought his hand back and the wall rebounded to its original position. He forced his hand through the wall. It was colder on the other side, but not by much. He brought his hand back to him.

"It's a portal."

"To where?"

"Only one way to find out."

Deliberately, Link walked forward. His face smooshed against the wall until he gathered enough momentum to go forward. He came out into a dark musty room. It was large, with the sound of large wooden things clanging against other large wooden things.

Tatl came through a moment later. "Where are we?"

"A basement?" Link guessed. "An abandoned one?"

"Who's there?" A light flared up, and Link was blinded.

Nadai came to a large gap. On one side lay the next room. Below her lay nothingness. The gap had to be twenty feet across at least. On her side was a large bulbous plant. It was springy to the touch, but it held her weight easily. Nadai sighed. It had certainly been a long time since she had to jump that far, at least, as a child.

She took a good running start, and judged the distance perfectly. She stepped off of the plant and pushed off with her dominant leg. With that added force and her athletic ability, she found herself launching through the air with almost apparent ease. She landed in a roll at the edge of the other side. She came up and breathed hard.

She was losing her touch. She should have cleared that easily. She was closer to nothingness than she would have liked. She kept on moving. As she did she mentally berated herself. She had to stop comparing herself to the adult her. The adult her which could fight and kill and do amazing things. The adult her which loved Link.

Not that she didn't love Link anymore. It was that as a kid again, it felt so weird trying to engage in the same things that she and Link had done before. Add to that Link's lost feeling without Navi and it was almost like Link had become someone different from the man she fell in love with. She shook her head. If he would only tell her what had happened to make him so distant things could be different.

They could be together like they used to. Minus Gannondorf and saving the world stuff.

The next room had for her more nothingness. Here and there were these flowers on different platforms. But these islands were close enough together for her to jump unaided. From one to another she jumped and jumped. She saw signs of passage, of a pair of feet.

She looked to the other side of the sea of nothingness and saw a tunnel. That was the only place Link could have gone.

The light subsided, and Link could see again. "It's just a scrub."

Link blinked a few times, and looked up to the man holding the torch. "It's you."

The man looked down at him. "Me?"

"You're the Mask Salesman from Hyrule."

"Now how would a scrub like you know me?"

The Mask Salesman shuffled away. Link followed him and came to a cleared off patch amid the dust and mildew. The man placed the torch in its holder and sat down on a box. Link stood there watching the man, as the man watched him.

"You've met with a terrible fate haven't you?" The salesman said at last.

Link almost jumped, for the man was so quiet for so long the noise was unexpected. "What do you mean?"

"I mean what I mean." The man peered closed at Link. "Your body is a scrub's, but your clothes are Kokiri in nature. Either you stole a Kokiri's garb or you are actually a Kokiri and cursed to look like a scrub."

"More along the lines of the latter."

"I thought so. I visited your village back in Hyrule on my way here." The man leaned closer. "There is a terrible danger between that country and this one's."

"Gannondorf?"

The man laughed. "He's the least of my concerns right now. Sure he made me move shop, but business was done in that city after my two helpers helped me." He frowned. "No. I'm talking about that Skull Kid."

"He's the one who did this to me!"

"Figures. It's his handiwork. You see, that mask of his that he wears was once mine."

"He knocked you out and took it too?"

"Yes," the man rubbed the back of his head as if the bump would still be there. "I've been looking for him for months now. You see, that mask is very precious to me, very precious. And powerful. I need to have it back."

"And you haven't found him."

"I caught a glimpse of him in town. But he gave me a good fright. Said something about the end of the world."

Tatl and Link exchanged glances.

"I don't want to believe him but I have no choice."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that I have a few days to get that mask back."

"Before the end of the world?"

"Before I leave." The man pointed to his overstuffed pack. "I have many masks there, and a new space to set up. However, if I leave it unattended too long I risk losing the spot altogether. I fear that I have spent too long here looking for the mask as is; my space might have been sold to another."

"So what? Just leave the mask."

"It's too precious. But I have another idea."

"Like what, a deal?"

"Something like that." The man leaned forward. "I can undo that spell placed upon you. A counter spell if you will against that mask."

"What's the price?"

"You get me that mask." The man smiled. "If you are looking for him, for pay back, you might as well deliver the mask to me as payment."

Link narrowed his eyes. "How did you know I wanted payback?"

"I'm a salesman. It's what I do."

A tumble sounded behind them. In the shadows, someone had rushed in from the portal and crashed into some old crates. They had broken apart and dust had scattered into the air. The man jumped up. "We have a deal then. I'll be upstairs in the music room. You have a week. Bye!" He grabbed his bag and ran to the nearest door, and slammed it shut behind him in haste. Link turned to the shadowy figure.

Nadai attacked him, her daggers slashing every which way. Due to Link's size and agility, all thanks to being a scrub, he managed to step back fast enough to avoid the attacks. He dodged a few more times.

"Nadai!"

The attacks kept coming.

"Nadai!"

They kept on coming.

"NADAI!"

She finally stopped. Panting hard, she looked at him. "Deku Scrubs can talk?"

"It's me, Link!"

Nadai threw her head back and groaned. "Impossible. How do you know my name? How do you know Link's? Who are you exactly? How can you talk?"

"I cut your hair to save you from the Re-Dead, remember?" Link said quickly.

Nadai stopped from moving. "I hated that day." She looked at him but her weapons were lowered. "Is that really you?"

"Let me tell you what happened."

Quickly Link recounted what happened to him. "So, Tatl, was it?" The fairy nodded. "You want to go back to Skull Kid."

"That's right."

"So all we have to do is get the mask back from Skull Kid and give it back to the salesman in a week and we're good to go?"

"That's the general idea."

Nadai nodded and stood up. "Then we just have to find the guy."

Link got up as well and looked up to Nadai. "Easier said than done. We are in Termina now, we don't know the area."

"But I do." Tatl hovered before them.

Nadai looked hard at the fairy. "I still don't trust you."

"But he does!"

Link sighed. "Only until I get my body back. Then we can call it quits."

Nadai looked at Link and nodded. "I'll trust you on this one."

Link smiled, an eerie sight at best. "Thanks. Now, you mentioned something about the top of a tower. Let's head there first."

Nadai walked to the first door. "We only have a week. We should hurry."

Link nodded. "Let's get out of this place and see where that portal took us."

Nadai led the way through the door and up the stairs. They passed several landings on their way up. They checked inside each room on their way up. The clanging sound of wood on wood and wood on stone got louder and louder. The sound of a piano wafted underneath one of the doors. Before Link could open in, Nadai pointed to the door opposite it. It held a window, which shown with the first light of the day.

Ignoring the piano player and his music, they opened the first door and went out into Termina.

Wang: Now I see what y'all were talkin' about.

Shadow: It only took like twenty minutes.

Wang: No, it only took like ten.

Static: Wang, we were guesstimating.

Wang: What's guesstimating?

Shadow: _sighs_

Time Stop: Please Review!


	4. Chapter 4

Shadow: Just a warning, we got accents.

Time Stop: Well, Termina has accents. We gotta make it different from Hyrule somehow.

Wang: We do?

Static: Yes Wang, we do.

Time Stop: As always, we don't own a thing.

Chapter 4: Welcome to Clocktown

The light blinded them for a moment. As their eyes cleared they found themselves in the center of town. Men were busy building large structure directly opposite from them. But not many other people were about. Nadai glanced at the sky.

"It's early morning." She whispered. It carried across the square.

Link nodded. "Well, we got a week. Let's see where we are."

Tatl flitted down to land on Link's shoulder. "This is the center of Clocktown. It's centrally located in Termina."

"Clocktown? Good to know." Nadai glanced about. "Where do we head first?"

"We could go out to the swamp." Tatl suggested. "That'll be the southern exit."

"Southern Exit?"

"There are four exits to Clocktown." Tatl answered her question. "To the north are the mountains, to the west is the sea. To the east is the canyon, and to the south is the swamp."

"If that Skull Kid is anywhere he'll be by the swamp." Link muttered. "We need to go south."

"Then let's find the southern exit." Nadai walked forward.

Link followed her. A growl caught his attention and he turned to see a dog about his height crouched low. He pounced, and Link had to spin out of the way.

"What the hell?" Link shouted.

The dog landed and spun about, keen on attacking further. Nadai got in its way, blocking its view of Link. Immediately, the dog sat on its hind legs and stuck out its tongue. She reached out carefully, but the dog didn't move to bite. She started petting the dog, letting it lick her hand.

"Ye're quite lucky that ye have that girl with ye."

Link turned about and found the speaker. An older Deku Scrub, it stood taller than Link by a good foot. Its body was half in and half out of a flower.

"What?"

"Gosh, boy, don't ye know a thing?" The Deku Scrub shook his head. "Canines are terrible enemies of the Deku Scrubs. Whether that be from a long forgotten feud or their love of sticks, we don't know. But what we do know is that they will attack us on sight."

"On sight, not on smell or on hearing?"

"They can't smell or hear us." The Deku Scrub smiled. "If we are real good at it, we can sneak right on by them when it comes to it."

"Good to know, thanks."

"Don't worry about it." The Deku Scrub smiled again. "We have to take care of our own."

"Yeah, thanks."

Link carefully made his way across the square. Nadai must have heard, following Link's passage and kept the dog pre occupied. Once Link got around the giant structure being built on the opposite end of the square, Nadai ran from the dog. It sat there, before resuming its search for the Deku Scrub that had escaped. Luckily, it didn't pursue Nadai as she found Link.

"That was eventful." She commented.

"I could do with a little less eventful." Link commented. He pointed ahead of him. "But good news is that we found the southern exit."

An immense gate stood ahead of them, with a singular guard looking their way.

"Simple enough, right?" Nadai said. She took a step forward.

"Halt!" The guard was in their way in a second, his hand outstretched.

"Halt?" She asked. "We can't leave?"

"Correct." The man stood up straight and puffed out his chest. "Children cannot leave the city unaccompanied without an adult."

"Seriously?" Link walked up to stand next to Nadai. "But we're adults!"

The man tsked. "Doesn't look like it to me." He shook his head.

"But we have weapons!" He yelled.

"The young woman has a weapon, scrub. Ye do not." The man drew himself up straighter. "And even if ye had a weapon, it would be confiscated."

"Confiscated?"

"Scrubs are not allowed weapons." The man said matter of factly. He leaned a bit to Nadai. "Is this scrub bothering ye little lady?"

Nadai clenched her fists. "He happens to be my friend."

"Friends? A scrub and a human? Impossible." The man reconsidered. "Well, improbable. At the very least."

Nadai reached low to her daggers. "We have to pass."

The man narrowed his eyes. "Ye really do wish to fight?"

"You kind of leave us with no choice."

The man gripped his spear easily. "Let me tell ye something, little lady. See those men behind ye working construction? They too are soldiers. One word from me and they will come. I don't care how strong ye think ye are, we are professionals. We will make short work out of yer little friend and yerself." He leaned down to her level. "I would reconsider yer actions before ye do something foolish."

Link glanced at the men behind them. Already a few of them were eyeing the situation. A few of them gripped their construction tools with tightened fists. He glanced back at Nadai. She was about to fight to the fullest.

"We understand." Link took a step back. "No leaving for us."

He put a wooden hand on Nadai's shoulder, and she slowly turned from the solider. They took a few steps away, sticking close to the wall.

"We could've taken them easily." She complained.

"I'm not back to my normal form." Link pointed out. "Secondly, we are still technically children."

She pouted. "So what, we try another exit?"

Tatl flitted about. "There are three other exits to try." She answered. "But they have construction at each entrance."

Nadai shook her head. "It's worth a shot." She went off.

Link sighed. "At least we'll see more of Clocktown."

What Tatl said was true. The soldiers who worked construction were completing preparations for a festival held in three days' time. The four biggest construction sites were in front of each of the entrances. Each entrance was guarded then by not one man but by twenty. And even in their prime, twenty men would have taken them enough that by the time they had finished others would have arrived.

Fighting their way out of the city was bordering suicidal.

But they managed to see the city in its fullest. Each exit to the city was in the four cardinal directions. The south was held in the giant main plaza. The west was in more of a residential region of the city, with a milk bar of all places. The east held a long winding street of shops that ended in the exit. The north was dressed like a park.

But the city was still massive outside of those four main areas. There were no real markers between them. Houses like soldiers stood to attention on either side of the road. Similar shops and citizens dotted the way in predictable places. In much, outside of those four exits, there were no interest in them.

The other thing that they had noticed was the attitude of the Terminians to Link. Or more specifically the attitude of the Terminians to Deku kind. There was a hostility about them, a hatred more poignant than any of the worse smells. This hostility must have ended only a little while ago, as children and adults all avoided Link as much as possible. At the other end of the spectrum, the Deku scrubs were almost afraid of the Terminians. They went out of their way to please them, doing things that both Link and Nadai were noticeably disturbed by. Unlike here, in Hyrule Deku scrubs were monsters twisted by evil. They had been enemies for Link and Nadai since they were born. Even in a new land, old habits die hard. Sympathy was something they couldn't find easily.

The end of their search found themselves by the northern exit, in the park-esque land. A large tree and a playground dominated one corner, while a boy tried shooting a balloon down with his pea gun. A man was flying in the middle of the air via a red balloon, dressed in bright green clothes. The other end of the park was walled off by a large wooden fence. Construction workers worked near by the exit.

"Again!" Link leaned against a slide. "We can't leave this place at all!"

Nadai eyed the exit. "We could try climbing out?" She suggested. "The wall has to be only about thirty or forty feet up. We could climb it."

"Not in my body." Link shook his head. "I'm too weak in the arms."

"I could carry you?"

"Possibly? I doubt that you could carry me up there. Nothing against your strength, but the possibility of being spotted and stopped is pretty high."

"I won't be as agile…" Nadai looked about. "There's a flower over there by the wall. Could we use that?"

"We don't know if we don't try." Link got up from the slide. "It's a start at least. Let's try there."

In their way stood the boy with his pea gun. He kept on taking shots at the giant balloon in the air. As they came closer they found that instead of peas he was lighting firecrackers and shooting those instead. The steady popping sound that had been in the far off distance had gotten louder as they saw the little flashes of light from the firecracker's explosions.

Passing him and the mysterious flying man and the guards, they went to the far side of the park. The fence had to be twenty feet high at least, with small holes here and there from the weather. Through the gaps in the fence they could spot a dark cave.

"Alright, let's try the flower." Link got his legs inside and was sucked inside.

Nadai's surprise was evident. This was the first time she had seen Link go into one of those springy flowers. He was shot up into the air a second later. He went just higher than the fence

"No good!" He shouted down.

The wind picked up, pushing him away. Nadai watched as he slowly drifted over the fence wall and subsequently away from her.

"Hold on!"

Nadai ran to the wall and jumped up. She clung to two small holes just large enough for a child's hands. She climbed furiously, Tatl right behind her. As Link dropped she rounded the top of the fence and fell down with him.

They landed, Link easily and Nadai in a roll. Tatl was a tad behind, silent. Both of them looked at the cave, uncertain.

"That was no natural wind." Link said. "There wasn't anything for the balloon or for that man. Only I was pushed."

"Magic?"

"Most definitely." Link squared his shoulders. "Maybe she's in there?"

"Maybe. Could be someone after us."

"We need to know."

Link took the first steps into the cave, his little wooden body creaking slightly. Nadai slipped behind him, her hands resting uneasily on her daggers. Tatl followed behind, her body flitting back and forth nervously.

"Guys, I shouldn't be here."

"Why not?" Whispered Link. "Danger?"

"Maybe—."

Lights came up suddenly, causing both Link and Nadai to crouch low defensively. Tatl hid behind them. When the lights dimmed, they found themselves in front of a beautiful woman. Dressed in bright robes, fairies circled her and framed her.

"A Great Fairy?" Link asked, rising.

"Travelers from Hyrule. You have certainly met with a horrible fate."

"You can tell I'm cursed?"

"I'm a Great Fairy," the woman laughed a little. "There is little that goes throughout my land without my knowledge."

"So you know about Skull Kid?"

"Yes." She let out a sad smile. "His magic is greater than even mine at the moment. There is little I can do to aid you in your endeavors."

"His magic is greater? It's just a mask."

"Much more than a mask, young Link." The Great Fairy answered. "What lies within the mask is dangerous. It corrupts. It's a burden no one in time should bear."

"So what? We have to fight?"

"Most definitely. You have three days to meet him. His plan enacts at the eve of the third day."

"It'll be a lot easier if we knew where he was."

"And that I can help you with." The woman raised her hands. "No doubt you have noticed your own magic has been nullified since you entered Termina. Let me aid you. Let me bless you with magic that transcends mortal coils and time."

Warm light bathed both of them. They could feel magic coursing through their veins much like it had months and months ago.

"And also with advice."

"Advice?" Nadai asked. "Like where he is?"

"Where you could find them." She smiled. "The Bombers are a good group of boys. They are led by the young boy out there in the park. Convince him that you are worthy of joining the bombers, and they can help you in any way they can."

"The Bombers?" She asked.

"Their use of firecrackers have given them that nickname. They used to be very mischievous. They changed their ways in the past year or so. They are good kids."

"If you say." Nadai shrugged. Link stared at the Great Fairy.

"What is it, young hero?" She turned to him again.

"My friend. Has she come here?"

The Great Fairy sighed. "I know of who you speak. A long time ago, before you were born, they had accidentally found their way into Termina through the Lost Woods. We guided them back to Hyrule once we found that they had come here. I have not seen her since."

Link's visage dropped.

"Though it is possible that she is here in Termina somewhere." The Great Fairy amended. "Until my power is no longer constricted by that mask, I won't know for sure."

Link bowed. "Thank you."

"We should go."

"Wait." The Great Fairy stopped them from leaving. "Before you go, I would like to talk to Tatl."

Tatl came out slowly from behind Link. "Hi Great Fairy."

"Tatl, we want to let you know that we do understand. You will always have a home with us here."

Tatl stared at the fairy in silence. After a long pause, she opened her mouth. Then she closed it again and left.

Link and Nadai followed her out of the cave. "What was that about?"

"Doesn't matter." Tatl flew up high. "All that matters is getting back to Skull Kid."

"If you say." Link dropped the matter. He spied another flower and went in. A moment later he was in the air again. Nadai was already climbing the fence as he floated over the wall and fell back over.

"That kid's the leader, huh?" Nadai landed on the ground easily.

The boy in question wore a bright red baseball cap. He still shot at the balloon in the sky, unable to do much to it. He aimed again and again, but his little firecrackers kept on missing.

"Yeah. Let's do this."

Link and Nadai walked up to the boy.

"Hey!" Link waved his hands, getting the boy's attention.

The Bomber put down his pea shooter. "What d'ye want?"

"We want to talk."

The boy shook his head. "I'm not supposed to talk to scrubs."

Link hung his head. "What is with these people and scrubs?" He said to himself.

Nadai took a step forward. "Will you talk to me?"

He took a long look at her. "Nah. I don't talk to ugly girls."

"Who're you calling ugly?" Nadai reached to her daggers, but Link stopped her.

"Listen, I was told that could that you help us."

"I don't know who told ye that." The bomber returned to shooting his firecrackers. "We don't talk to outsiders."

"Said who?"

"Said me!" The boy stopped shooting again and stared pointedly at them, waving his finger at them. "Ever since the Hylians came to Clocktown, we've been overcrowded and making the adults mad."

"And what's that to do with us?"

"Well it's clear that she's an outsider. She doesn't talk like us at all. And ye, ye're a scrub so no one would want to talk to ye 'cept other scrubs and outsiders."

"So how can we become one of you then?" Nadai asked.

"What?"

"Well, if we become bombers, then we would be part of Clocktown, right?" Nadai reasoned. "We would then no longer be outsiders."

"True…"

"Which means that you could help us out?"

The Bomber shook his head. "Not so fast! I never agreed to let either one of ye join The Bombers."

"Then why don't you test us?" Nadai asked. "If we pass, then we can join you. If we don't, then we'll never bother you again."

The Bomber thought about it for a long time. "If, and only if ye pass, right?"

"That's right."

"Then pop that balloon." The Bomber pointed up to the one he had been trying to hit. "If you manage to pop that I'll consider it. Considering I'm the best aim out of everyone I know, there's no way you could hit that."

Nadai looked up at the sky. She turned back to the boy. "That's it?"

"Why? Can't do it?"

Nadai took out her dagger. "Now I never said that." She whipped the dagger behind her and watched as the boy's mouth drop open. The resounding pop sounded and the later kathunk of the dagger hitting the ground.

The boy's eyes grew wider. "Impossible." He whispered. "That's impossible."

Link glanced at the construction workers. They had taken notice of their interactions, but they hadn't yet moved in on them yet. They were just kids fooling around. An odd assortment of kids fooling around.

"So, do I pass?"

The Bomber shook himself out of shock. "Yes! I mean, no! I mean, not him!" He pointed a finger at Link.

"And why not?" Nadai put her hands on her hips. "I popped it fair and square."

"Ye only popped it. He did nothing." The boy smirked. "If a Deku Scrub really wanted the help of the Bombers, he has to prove himself too."

"How so?"

"By popping that balloon." The boy pointed with his pea shooter, to the giant red balloon the man was riding on.

Link groaned. It was even higher than the other one, and he had no way to get to it. Daggers were out of the question, as his hands couldn't grasp it with their knobby forms. He couldn't jump up there and he couldn't use Din's Fire.

Or could he? The Great Fairy had just given him magic; magic that would transcend time and form. Could he do some sort of Deku magic? He reached inside of himself, looking for that familiar spot where he could feel the burning of magic. It took a little while, but he found what he was looking for. Instead of burning hot, it was freezing cold. Undeterred, he grasped at it in his mind, and brought it to focus.

His concentration was ruined when his mouth had a very strange sensation to it. He spat out, but a long strand of gray green clung to his mouth. He brought it back and in and tried to blow it out. It came out as a bubble, but still clung to him. He shook his head back and forth, bringing in the gummy substance and trying again. The bubble got bigger and bigger as he tried to get rid of it.

By now, Nadai and the Bomber were watching almost horrified. They stepped back in caution as the bubble got to be the size of Link's head. Speechless, all she could do was watch as he tried to expel the bubble.

Link threw his head back in frustration and blew as hard as he could. Suddenly a small pop resounded in his head and he was flung back to the ground. The bubble flew up into the air. It moved faster and faster until it flew right on past the man with the balloon.

"Ha! Ye missed!"

Nadai shook her head. "He didn't." With her keen eyes, she had seen the bubble stick to the balloon.

"Liar!"

Nadai turned to look at the boy. "You calling me a liar?"

"Yeah." The Bomber crossed his arms. "Even if he did hit the balloon, I said to pop it."

With a resounding bang, the bubble Link had fired went off in a small explosion, popping the red balloon with it. The man yelled in surprise as he plummeted down to the ground. He landed heavily.

With that the construction workers were on their way, makeshift weapons in hand. The boy was appalled, and ran off towards the playground. Nadai reached out and helped Link up to his feet. He went straight to the man who had fallen, while Nadai gripped her lone dagger anxiously.

"Are you alright?" Link asked.

"Why did ye do that to Tingle?" The man turned to Link.

"Sir? Are you alright?" One of the guards shouted.

"Tingle is alright." The man who had fallen stood up. He smiled. "Tingle has never been better."

The guards slowed down. "Are you sure, sir?"

"Tingle is sure!" The man spun about and pointed his finger at them. "Now leave Tingle alone or face Tingle's magic!" He waited a moment for the words to sink in. "Tingle Tingle Kooloo-Limpah!"

The guards immediately retreated. Nothing happened and the man turned right back around with a big grin on his face.

"Thank ye so much!" The man laughed. "Tingle has been waiting to hear from his kin for a long time!"

"Kin?" Link asked.

"Why, from ye!" The man jumped from one foot to another. "Tingle has been waiting for the day that a fairy boy came to see him!"

If Link could blanch, he would. "Fairy boy?" He repeated.

"Yes, yes! Has ye brought a fairy for Tingle? He's been waiting for a very long time for it! Almost thirty years to be exact!"

Nadai held her hand up. "Hold up. You're telling us that you are a Kokiri?"

"What?" The man turned to her. "Tingle doesn't know what those are. But he does know that fairy boys like Tingle wear green. And have a fairy! Tingle is just waiting for a fairy!"

"Uh, no." Link shook his head. A very unflattering feeling came to his heart, gripping it tightly. "No. We didn't."

"But fairy boy! Tingle has been waiting for years! You must help poor old Mr. Tingle!"

Link began to back off. "Maybe another time."

"Please!" The man reached out and grabbed his arm. "Tingle is desperate!"

Link swung his arm back. "Back off!" He growled.

While his voice was higher pitched as a Deku Scrub, he couldn't exactly be called menacing. But it worked, the man backed off as if stabbed. Link ran off to the playground equipment, Nadai hot on his heels.

"What was that about?"

Link shook his head. "Don't wanna talk about it."

They stopped in front of the slide. "Woah."

They both turned to the Bomber who peeked his head out from around the slide.

"What?" Nadai asked.

"Ye actually did it." The Bomber came out from hiding. "Ye actually popped the balloon. And talked to crazy ol' Tingle."

"That's his name?" Link asked.

"Yeah. He's a nutter, at least, that's what the parents all say. Said that he was hit on the head as a child or something."

Link shivered. "A-Anywho," he said. "Am I in?"

"Uh, yes!" The Bomber stopped, then shook his head vigorously. "I mean, no. No!"

"What? We did what you asked!" Nadai protested.

"There's still one more task!" The Bomber held up a finger. "Uh, wait here."

Nadai's hand shot out and gripped his collar before he could go far. "For you to sneak off? I don't think so."

"Nothing like that!" The boy wriggled. "There's just one more task, and I gotta get them!"

"What?" Link leaned back against the slide.

"There's ten others, ten officers of the Bombers!" The leader said frantically. "They're the last part of the initiation!"

"Which entails?"

"Ye gotta find all of them." The boy said. He finally shook himself free from Nadai's grip. "After supper is had, I'll have the guys sneak out to hide among town. You have to find all ten of them before the time runs out. When you find them, make sure to grab their bandanna on their wrist, otherwise it won't count."

"And when does time run out?"

The boy pointed up at the sky. "It's mid afternoon now. Ye have from when it starts, till noon tomorrow."

"And it starts after supper?"

"I'll tell ye when it starts, okay?" The boy pointed to the slide. "Wait here, and I'll let ye know when ye can look for them."

Nadai narrowed her eyes. "No houses?"

"No houses."

"No shops?"

"No buildings."

"Just outside?"

"They might be hiding under or in something." The boy shrugged. "But I'll make sure to tell the guys to hide at least outside."

Nadai groaned.

"They'll listen to me!" The Bomber insisted. "Now I better go tell the fellas before supper starts!"

He ran off, this time Nadai didn't give chase.

"I guess we wait?"

Link nodded. "We wait."

Time Stop: So there it is.

Static: Just to further clarify things, super powerful magical beings do not count for the accents.

Wang: What about fairies?

Static: Don't count.

Shadow: Please Review!

Wang: What about animals?

Static: Don't count.

Wang: What about Skull Kid?

Static: Uh, for the purposes of the story, he isn't really from Termina. More along the like on the borders of it.

Wang: ...you just made that up.

Static: No I didn't!

Wang: Yes you did!


	5. Chapter 5

Time Stop: Chapter five already! Whoo!

Shadow: Only five hundred more to go.

Wang: Whaaaaaaa?

Static: We don't own Legend of Zelda

Chapter 5: End of the World

The Bomber leader arrived just as the sun was setting on their first day in Termina. Link got up from the slide where he was dangling his feet. Nadai sat up on the ground next to him.

"You're late." She said.

"It was hard to convince the guys and get away from me parents." The Bomber smiled. "But I did it."

"Just to be clear," Link said, "No buildings or anything like that."

"They can be in, under, on top of, or around." The boy answered, ticking them off on his fingers. "But not inside buildings."

Nadai nodded. "And there are ten of them."

The boy nodded again. "They all are wearing a red bandana on their arm, like mine." He pointed to the bandana on his arm tied tight to his bicep. "All ye have to do is catch him and tag him."

"And if we find all ten, then we can join the Bombers?"

"And only if ye find all of them." The boy said. "But no one we ever challenged to do this could win."

"We're not like anyone else." Link stretched, his wooden body creaking.

"Well, I'll be here, I guess."

Nadai shot him a look. "You don't have to go home?"

"Me parents are used to us being out all night." The boy shrugged. "And I'm part of a gang, so it's all good."

Nadai looked about. "Alright then."

They headed out. Nadai led the way, Link only a few steps behind. They glanced about, as if expecting to see a boy here or there.

"We've got less than twenty-four hours to find ten boys." Link muttered. "In a city this big."

"So split up?"

"Split up." Link nodded. "And we take sections?"

"Sound good." Nadai stretched out her shoulders. "From north to south?"

Link kept his eyes wide open, staring at everything and nothing at once. "That works."

"I'll take the rooftops?" Nadai glanced behind her to look at her friend.

"Then I'll take the streets."

Nadai ran to the wall, jumped up and kicked off from it. She reached to the side and grabbed onto a windowsill. She clambered on it and jumped again, nabbing the edge of the roof. The game was on.

Link scoured the streets, checking each boy as he passed. He checked under benches and hidden in the shadows. He went into the darkest of alleys and every side street he saw. Each and every movement cause him to twitch slightly as he trained his eyes on it.

Up above, Nadai had a slightly easier time. Most of the roofs were slanted, but not overly slanted. She could hold her footing easily as she hopped from rooftop to rooftop. She kept her eyes wide open, seeing everything at once. Occasionally she would check below at Link who was keeping up with her speed.

However, Clock Town wasn't built with straight, even roads and streets and buildings. While the buildings were similarly built, the roads themselves were rather like a maze. There were pockets here and there of open space, and some wider streets; but for the most part, the streets were almost haphazardly placed. If they were looking from above, they could see that the town itself was laid out similarly to a clock.

Link spotted the first Bomber. He was peeking out from under a box. As soon as Link saw him the box closed with a bang. Link ran at the box and hit it with his body. The box tilted and the boy slipped out from under the box and made a run for it. Link snapped out his arm and caught the boy's shirt.

"That's one."

"One?" The Bomber stood up, dusting his hands. "I'm the first! Dang!"

"It's been less than an hour." Link glanced at the sky. "We're making good time."

"It's only been that long?" The Bomber looked impressed, but hid it behind a scowl quickly. "Well, everyone else won't be that easy to find!"

Link smiled, "Not if I have anything to say about it."

He ran off, his eyes peeled once more. Finding all of the boys took the better part of the night, and dawn of their second day in Termina came up as they slowly made their way back to the northern bit of Clock Town. Some boys had given them a harder run for their rupees than others had. Persistence and patience paid off for Link and Nadai in the end. Their experience led them to guess correctly the boys running patterns, and allowed them to intercept their quarry.

Tatl was impressed, even if she didn't say it. The two children in front of her were skilled, she had recognized that even before they started their hunt, but she hadn't realized just how skilled they actually were.

When they arrived at the northern exit, the Bomber Leader was wide eyed with amazement despite how bloodshot his eyes were.

"You actually did it!" He couldn't help but cheer. "No one's ever done that!"

"So we're in then?"

The Bomber Leader nodded vigorously. "Of course! Of course!" He started pacing. "The other person who got into the Bombers isn't anywhere as cool as you two!"

"And who was the other person?" Link asked.

The boy didn't even glance at him. "Skull Kid." He continued, ignoring the shock on their faces. "He's a nice guy, if a bit shy. Ye should meet him one day."

Link composed himself. "Where is he?"

"Who?"

"Skull Kid." Nadai looked about, as if Skull Kid would appear.

The boy pointed up to the visible Clock Tower toward the southern end of town. "Up there."

Link and Nadai trained their eyes to the south. They could almost see a small figure on top of the tower.

"Why, ye want to meet him?"

"Very much."

"Well, ye can't."

"Can't? Why not?" Their eyes returned to the boy.

"The tower is off limits for us." The boy smirked. "They didn't like our firework display last year."

"So?" Nadai shrugged. "How do we get in?"

The boy looked nervous. "Well, ye still can't get in, even if I show ye."

"So why don't ye show us and we'll go from there."

The Bomber looked about, his eyes scanning as if looking out for danger. "Alright, fine." He started out at a walk. "I'll show ye. I mean, I can tell ye to stop since I'm yer boss now, but I don't think that that would do nothing."

Nadai nodded. "You'd be right."

"Well," the boy went south, leading them through back alleys that Link and Nadai hadn't used before, "they started doing things differently since we set off the fireworks last year."

"How differently?"

"They blocked off the tower." The boy answered simply. "We tried last week, but found that the doors were locked. And they won't open the tower for the public until tomorrow at sundown."

"So what's this festival?" Link asked.

"Ye don't know?" The boy gave him a dirty look. "I thought that even scrubs knew about the moon festival."

"Well, I don't know, so tell me."

"The moon festival celebrates the moon." The boy said, as if it was obvious. "For a whole week we celebrate the moon and the giants."

"Giants?"

The boy shrugged. "Giant gods that serve Termina. No one's seen them in years." He pointed up above, where the moon was visible even in the morning. "But we still celebrate the moon. It's an old tradition."

"So how does that relate to the tower?"

"The tower is used by these ceremonial dancers. At sundown the tower will be opened up and the dancers do their dance. After that we party for a week. But things are all wrong this year." The boy trailed off.

"How so?"

"I-I really shouldn't tell."

"But we're one of you guys now." Nadai said. "Shouldn't we know?"

The boy hesitated a bit then spoke quickly and softly, as if someone would overhear. "Normally the other races would be here already."

"They're not here?"

"The Zora's normally arrive by tomorrow anyway, but they're not coming. The Gorons should be here and even the Deku Scrubs should be here already. There's something fishy going on. Me dad even had to resort to using soldiers to build the necessary platforms instead."

"Your father?"

The boy swelled up with pride. "Me dad is the General for Clock Town. He's as important as the mayor."

Link nodded slowly. "So that's why you don't want us to know. You overheard your dad."

"Sh!" The Bomber shushed him. "Not so loud!"

"I get it, I get it." They entered the plaza by the southern exit. "So how do we get in?"

The boy pointed to a door. "There's a door up there, halfway up the tower that leads straight up to the top. The way up to it from the inside has been locked. But, they are making a platform that the dancers use."

"What platform?"

The boy pointed to where the soldiers were. "That platform is built high enough so that a bridge can extend to the tower. The dancers walk across it for the ceremony."

Nadai nodded slowly. "I see."

"What?"

"We'll have to wait until tomorrow then." Link clarified. "At sundown."

"What! To climb up there!"

"We need to see him." Link answered.

"Can't ye wait until he gets down?"

"I have a good feeling he won't come down for anything." Nadai said. "You feel that?"

The boy glanced between the two of them. "Feel what?"

"It's cold." Tatl whispered. "I feel something sinister."

The boy glanced between the two of them. "What do ye mean?"

"It's fine." Link answered after a moment. "We'll take care of it."

"In the mean-time," Nadai asked. "Is there a place we can stay?" She yawned for effect.

The boy nodded, but his eyes were wary. "There's our hideout. None of the adults go there."

"Can ye take us?"

"I'll have someone take ye. I've got something to do." The Bomber waved his hands, catching the attention of a boy. "Hey, Johnny? Can ye take them to the base for me?"

The boy looked at Link and Nadai hesitantly. "Them?" He asked.

"They're cool." The Bomber Leader said. "Pass the word around, if they need anything, help them out."

Johnny nodded. "Got it boss." Without a word to the outsiders, the boy started out.

They traveled for a few minutes back into the center of town in silence. They went to a building with a few boys sitting on the stairs in front of the entrance. Instead of going inside, they went around the side down a small alley. The alley was so thin that no adult could have gotten in easily. Halfway down the alley they came to a small grate. The boy lifted the grate up and was stopped by another boy.

"What's the password?" The guard asked.

"Fireworks." Johnny answered.

The other boy moved out of the way. Link and Nadai squatted down and slipped into the cellar of the building. Dark and grimy lights hung from the ceiling. There was something scurrying in the corners of the darkness. Johnny led them further into the gloom, and found themselves in a low tunnel just the right height for a kid. It was brighter in here, and cleaner too.

"Where are we?"

"The sewer." The boy answered. "Or at least, an abandoned part of it." He pointed to one wall where a whole bunch of hay and blankets were. "Ye guys can sleep there if ye want. If ye want grub, just holler."

The boy left, and the gloom swallowed him back up. Link and Nadai settled themselves down in the hay. It was slightly damp and moldy, and the blankets were threadbare, but it worked for them.

"I guess we wait for tomorrow's sundown." Nadai whispered.

"I guess so." Link answered. "Just one more day."

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"I know." Link answered. He closed his eyes, and settled in to sleep.

The rest of their second day passed with them dozing in and out of consciousness. On the third day they went back outside, and bought bread and cheese. The atmosphere was strained. The city was obviously trying to be merry for the celebration that night, but it was subdued due to the confusing lack of attendance. As for Link, Nadai, and Tatl, they had their own thoughts to deal with. For the two outsiders: they were used to sitting around and waiting, but not when they were on the job; and for the fairy: there was a problem of not being with Skull Kid.

Their anticipation grew and grew as sundown neared.

"Is it just me or is the moon getting bigger?"

Link followed Nadai's eyes. "It is." He answered. "It's bigger, is that normal?"

Tatl shook her head. "No." She answered. "It's never gotten bigger."

"Do you think —"

"I do."

"What?" Tatl asked. "What?"

"Skull Kid."

"That he's doing this? That's impossible!"

Link shook his head. "I don't think so. I think he is planning something."

"Then let's hurry," Nadai set out, leading them through the crowd.

Link nodded, and hurried up.

At the southern exit, the platform was built. The bridge had been extended, and the square was packed with people. Nadai pushed her way through the crowd, aiming for the platform. Link was held back as the crowds closed in around him. He glanced about, and saw the older Deku Scrub that had helped him on the first day waving him down. He hurried to him.

"Came to see the ceremony?"

"Something like that." Link answered.

"Shame, this year isn't that good." The Deku said sadly. "We were supposed to have a huge delegation this year, but alas! There was trouble back home."

"Trouble?"

"Yes, the—" The Deku was cut off as gasps came out from the crowd around them.

On the bridge stood Nadai, the few Termina Dancers behind her. In front of her stood a tall man in full armor, his sword out and pointed at her. Link's eyes widened.

"Isn't that yer friend?" The older scrub turned to Link.

Link nodded. "She needs me."

"She needs to get off that bridge. She's ruining the ceremony!" Someone nearby grumbled.

Link glanced about. His eyes fell upon the flower beneath the other scrub. "I need that."

"What?"

"Move!"

Link shoved the other scrub out of the way. Surprised, the other scrub gave way. Link jumped into the flower, Tatl right behind him. A second later he was out, shooting into the air. He shot up high, higher than the bridge. He swung his arms and legs, going forward. As he did he watched Nadai.

Whatever had been said he missed when he was in the flower. She was fighting the man in armor. She ducked and weaved around the much longer sword that was being used at her. She jumped in and out, nicking at the armor. But she didn't draw blood.

Link landed on the bridge, on the far end of it. Nadai took her opportunity and dashed around the man. He swung, overextended himself and sent himself careening towards the edge. He gathered himself quickly, but by that time both Link and Nadai were going through the door.

"What happened?" Link asked as they ran up the stairs.

"That boy told his dad on us." Nadai hissed back. "He told the General and he tried to stop us himself."

"At least it wasn't the whole army." Link pointed out. "And you didn't even hurt him."

"I didn't feel like killing him." Nadai shrugged. "I was waiting for you to come up but you never showed."

"Caught a flower."

"I've noticed." Nadai smiled. "Though next time, let's just climb the building."

"Easier said than done." Link smiled.

Up above them, Tatl was silent. She wanted to see Skull Kid more than any of them.

They burst through the last door, and onto the roof of the tower. In mid-air, surrounded by swirling energy was Skull Kid. Tael hovered closeby. He saw them first.

"Tatl!"

"Tael!"

"Help me!" The dark clothed fairy shouted. "Skull Kid, somethings wrong!"

"What?"

"Help me!"

Skull Kid looked down at them so suddenly that his body jerked. "You are here?" He asked so softly that it was hard to hear. "Are you here to ruin my fun?"

Link shook his head. "I just need that mask back."

Skull Kid shook his head. "I can't do that."

"Yes you can. I need it more than you."

"It's too late. It's too late." Skull Kid whispered. "You can't stop it."

"Stop what?" Nadai looked about. Her eyes fell on the moon up above. It was even bigger than before.

"You can't stop it!" Skull Kid shouted. "Time to say goodbye!"

"Tatl! Help me!"

Link narrowed his eyes. Whatever was happening right now, he saw one thing that he did want. It was in Skull Kid's hand, and it was precious to him. He focused his energy, and a thick mucus started to stick to his mouth.

Up above, the moon was slowly getting bigger. Nadai gripped her daggers. "He's bringing the moon down on us!" She shouted. "How the hell do we stop that!"

Tatl shivered. "What do we do? What do we do?"

"Tatl! Please!"

She looked at her brother. "Tael! I'll find a way to stop this, I'll find a way!"

"And just how will you do this?" Nadai shot at her.

"I don't know, can't you think of something?"

Nadai held up her daggers. "What? Throw these? Try stopping the moon with these?"

"Maybe? I don't know! You know how to fight. Can't you stop Skull Kid?"

"Just how am I supposed to reach him?"

As Nadai spoke Link fired his bubble. It flew through the air and hit Skull Kid in the hand. He didn't notice or flinch, but the Ocarina did fall out of his hand to the ground some twenty feet below. Link rushed for it.

"Tatl! Help me! He won't listen to me!"

Tatl flittered about helplessly. "Skull Kid! Stop!"

Link examined his Ocarina. It wasn't damaged at all. Good.

"I don't think he's listening to me!" Tatl shouted.

Before Link's eyes the Ocarina shifted and changed. It elongated and stretched, the Fairy Wood turning darker. When it was done it resembled a saxophone, however it was still wooden and not brass like he had seen before.

Nadai threw her daggers, but they were stopped by some barrier and they fell to the ground by Link. She ran to retrieve them. Tatl flew in closer.

"We need more time! If we only had more time!" She shouted.

Link's eyes went wide. "That's it!" He shouted. He brought the Saxophone to his lips. "Nadai! We need more time!"

Catching on, Nadai brought out her flute. Tatl looked at them as if they were insane. "What are you doing! This is no time for music!"

They played in sync, their fingers rolling over the notes in a familiar pattern. The Song of Time played out for them.

Tatl flew down to hit Link. "Help me!"

"Tatl!"

She looked up as she hit Link.

"I love you." Her brother closed his eyes and went still, falling to the ground.

"Tael!" Tatl shouted.

But she couldn't move. Link and Nadai glowed a soft white, and with Tatl's hand still on Link's head, she too glowed white. One second they were there, and the next they were gone. A few seconds later a man clad in armor arrived to the top of the tower. Behind him were several men all armed. They took one look at the moon as it hurtled to them, and shouted in terror.

Then the moon crashed into Clock Town, and everything was destroyed.

Time Stop: Wang, we don't literally have five hundred chapters left to write.

Wang: Oh.

Shadow: It's only really forty eight and four fifths.

Wang: Whaaaaaaaa?

Static: Please Review!


	6. Chapter 6

Shadow: Back in time we go.

Static: We don't own Legend of Zelda

Chapter 6: Healing

Link and Nadai and Tatl reappeared in the basement of the Clock Tower. Link and Nadai glanced about, recognizing almost instantly where they were. Tatl's hand slipped from Link's face and she sunk to the floor.

"What?"

"That's new." Nadai put away her flute. "Your Ocarina never turned into that before."

Link held the saxophone gingerly. "You're telling me." He let it hang from the strap around his neck. "But it worked, right?"

"What?" Repeated Tatl.

"I guess so? Are we back in time?"

"What?"

Link looked at the door. "There's only the Mask Salesman's footprints leading out. So maybe we have gone back in time?"

"Back to square one then."

"How the hell did you do that!" Tatl's cries finally pierced through their conversation. The fairy was flittering about, her eyes wide and unbelieving.

"We went through time." Link stated.

"But how! That's impossible!"

"Oh, we've done it plenty of times."

"But why would the Goddesses send us back to now?" Nadai asked.

"Maybe they want us to stop Skull Kid?"

"Maybe." Nadai shrugged. "But three days? And the whole thing with the moon to think about."

"True." Link nodded. "My bubble pierced him, but there's no way we can get to him until the night of."

"And even if we do get to him, your little bubbles might be the only thing that could get to him." She patted her daggers. "My daggers didn't even get to him."

"Maybe it's a physical and not a magical barrier?"

"Could be."

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?"

Both kids turned to Tatl. "We're going to stop Skull Kid, cause we have to."

"I don't think anyone can stop him." Tatl sniffed, tears coming to her eyes. "Tael is dead. Skull Kid won't listen to me now, not if he didn't listen to Tael."

"Uh, Tael is alive."

"Wha?"

"We're gone back to the first day of our search." Link explained. "It's no longer sundown of the third day."

"I don't believe you." Tatl shot up. "It's still got to be dark. I've got to do something."

Link shrugged. "Alright."

"Alright?"

"I said you could follow along until we met back with Skull Kid. You know where he is now, you can easily get to him. This is where we part ways."

Tatl looked at them. "I guess it is." Silence came to them. They looked between each other. Finally Tatl gave a little wave. "I guess I'll see you guys around."

"Good luck stopping Skull Kid." Nadai nodded. "If you don't then we'll see you on the third day once more."

Tatl left, slipping through a crack in the door.

"So what first?" Link asked.

"Well, we could always scale the tower and fight him prematurely." Nadai began to stretch out her arms. "Though I don't know how we'll fight him."

"I can't with this body." Link looked down at himself. "Now, if I was a Hylian again we could break down the door and stop him easily."

"That's if we could get your body back."

Link got an idea, and a cruel smile came to his lips. "I think I know how."

"How?"

"That Mask Salesman."

"He could," Nadai slowly nodded, catching on to the idea.

"And I think it was time we knew just what we were fighting."

"That mask."

"That mask." Link agreed.

"If I remember right, he's in the music room."

"Then let's pay a visit."

Link led the way, his little wooden body going up the steps quietly. Nadai went behind him, her own steps undetectable. They came to the music room on the ground floor. Link burst through the door.

The Mask Salesman looked up and saw Link. "You've returned already? I—"

His words were cut off as Link rushed in and body slammed the man. Despite his light weight, he pushed the man onto the ground. Link struggled for a brief second with the much larger man, before he slammed the man's head into the ground.

"In the Goddesses name, what do you want!"

"Answers." Nadai said softly.

The man tried to turn around but Link slammed his head into the ground again. He groaned in pain but stayed still.

"What kind of answers?"

"Turn me back to Hyllian."

"I can revert you to your original form, but it would—"

"Just do it."

"But my payment!"

"Can wait until I'm back to normal."

The man was quiet. "Fine." He said shortly. "Let me up."

Link eased off the man's head and the man got up. Link landed on his feet. Nadai had her daggers out. The man turned and saw Nadai.

"It's you?"

"Just turn him back."

The man shook his head as he sat back down at the piano. "I never thought my best helper would have me at sword point." He sighed. "Listen well, because I'll only do this once."

The man's fingers glided over the keys. There was something soothing in the notes that were played. Link gasped in pain. He brought his hands to his face. It felt like it was burning. He clawed at it as the music wore on. As the notes finished playing and hung in the air, Link felt his face begin to fall off. He pushed it away as if it burned him.

Almost instantly he felt taller. He glanced down at his hands and they were Hylian once more. The Saxophone around his neck fell to the ground as an Ocarina. He could feel his sword and shield back, the familiar weight calming him.

"I'm back!" Link shouted.

The man turned around to see him and his mouth fell open. "So that explains it." He whispered.

"So then what's that?"

Link looked down to where Nadai had pointed. On the ground next to his Ocarina was a mask in the shape of a Deku Scrub.

"That was the Song of Healing." The Mask Salesman said. "It collected the curse placed upon you and put it into the mask. You put the mask back on and you return to a scrub."

"So it's cursed." Link picked up the mask and his Ocarina. He turned to the salesman and held out the mask. "You should have it."

"While I appreciate the sentiment, I don't have use for a mask that turns someone into a scrub, you can keep it." The man narrowed his eyes. "But where is my mask."

"I had questions about it."

"And that included you slamming me into the ground to find out about it?" The man shot back. "That mask is dangerous and needs to be brought back to me!"

Nadai examined her daggers, letting the sun reflect them onto the man's face. "Tell me all about this mask."

The man grimaced. "I don't see how that's relevant."

"That Skull Kid tried to kill us. That mask is powerful, but I need to know why." Nadai took a single step forward. "While we were your helpers at one point, that doesn't mean we're are benevolent all the time."

The man was silent.

"Almost getting killed puts a damper on my day." Nadai continued. "You know what extremes I go to. You don't want me to get angry."

The man grimaced. "Alright. I'll tell you the legend."

"Legend?"

"The story goes that eons ago, when the world was still young, there was a powerful sorcerer. He subjugated most of the world. This was a time of unrest and pain, as no one was happy with the world and the state of things. It took many many years, but a small group of musicians got together and created the Song of Healing. By playing the song to him, it forced the man to become a mask.

"But the power of the man is held in that mask. Majora's Mask. It is stronger and more powerful than any who own it. The last owner was a Hylian man who was captured by Gerudos. He had been killed but the mask survives. I procured the mask from the Gerudos over ten years ago. I've been holding it until I can destroy it properly."

"So Majora holds the wearer under control?"

The salesman nodded. "Majora controls the wearer. At first it's subtle, but soon enough they become fully subjugated. No one has ever given up the mask willingly. All owners have to be killed."

"And Skull Kid is wearing that same mask."

All of them looked up to Tatl who was flying by the window.

"I'm right, aren't I? Skull Kid has to die."

"Not necessarily." The man answered. "There is a hope that by playing the Song of Healing to him that it might release the control on him. But there is still Majora to think about. He might manifest himself in a physical body. Whether that be in Skull Kid's body or in a different one."

"So we need to stop him in three days." Link muttered.

"A week."

"He plans to destroy the world in three days' time with the moon." Nadai corrected. "We need to stop him by then."

The man whimpered. "Then I have no choice but to run."

"Running won't do you any good." Link stated. "We stop Skull Kid, that's all there is to it."

"Then, what? You run in and play the song and fight him?" The man asked. "It's folly!"

"Not folly. It might be the only way other than to kill him outright."

"I would prefer if we didn't kill Skull Kid." Tatl whispered.

"Listen, the Song of Healing best works when the participant is willing." The man said quickly. "Or if he is unwilling, distracted."

"Distracted?"

"Fighting him might have his guard down." The salesman said. "But if most of his attention is also distracted that might help."

"And how do you suggest that?"

"What if you strike when he is bringing down the moon?"

"That's…that could work." Nadai said slowly. "But if he could be too strong then."

"Then you go back in time!" Tatl shouted. "If you fail, then try again."

"What?" Asked the Mask Salesman.

Link shrugged. "Either or," he ignored the man's question. "What if it takes too long? We might be fighting long enough that the moon could fall on us."

"Then get someone to hold up the moon!" Tatl breathed out excitedly. "Rouse the Giants!"

"The giants?"

Tatl flitted about. "There are four giants in Termina, who helped reshape the very world! We can rouse them, they can help us!"

"But where would we find them? Are they even real?" Link asked dubiously.

"Does it matter?" Tatl shouted. "You can travel through time itself! Just start again if it doesn't work out!"

Nadai groaned. "As much as I hate to say it, but she's right."

"So rouse the giants, and fight Skull Kid before three days are up." Link said. He turned to Tatl. "So why are you here?"

The fairy blushed. "Um, I realized something."

"And?"

"That you were right. If Tael can't stop Skul Kid, then my presence won't do much. He ignored the fact I was even gone!" Tatl swallowed a lump in her throat. "I think the best way to help him is to help you guys. That is, if you would have me."

"Why would we want you?" Nadai asked. "So far all you've done is complain and whine and hide from the Great Fairy."

"But you two are new to Termina!" Tatl argued. "I know Termina and its customs and its people! I know where things are! I can help!"

"There is that." Link sighed. "I hate to agree, but we don't know this place at all. We need a guide."

"Link…" Nadai whispered.

They both knew why it would be hard to take Tatl into the team. It had been half a season or more without Navi. Navi, their dearest friend and guide in Hyrule. Navi who was gone missing. If they took on Tatl, that would be almost as good as saying that Navi was truly gone.

"Besides, you might know where we could go and all." Link said suddenly, breaking the silence. "You could point us to where we could go. We can see pretty much see all of Termina this way."

Link and Nadai exchanged knowing glances. "Then I guess it's settled."

"Where first?" Tatl asked.

"Does it matter?" Link answered. "Don't worry, we'll have the mask soon enough."

The man slumped back against the keys of the piano. A disjointed cord played. "I sure hope so."

"You won't even know we're gone." Link smiled.

"I guess we're back in business."

They went through the open music room door, and to the front door. Link opened the door, and went outside.

Dawn of the First Day.

Wang: Yo yo yo, we are pirates!

Time Stop: What?

Wang: Pirates!

Time Stop: We don't own Legend of Zelda.


	7. Chapter 7

Shadow: It's time for the adventure to really start!

Static: We don't own Legend of Zelda.

Chapter 7: Welcome to Scrubsville

The light blinded them temporarily, but they could see fine within seconds. Everything looked much like it had the first time they had left the Clock Tower. The soldiers were building. The dog that was prowling around didn't bother them at all.

"Where first?" Tatl asked again.

"What's to the south?"

"The Swamp." Tatl answered.

"Well, it's the closest, right?" Link said. "Let's go."

They strode across the still empty square. They went up to the guard who blocked the way with his spear.

"Sorry, but I can't let ye two go through."

"Because we're kids?"

"Exactly. The fields are dangerous for children unaccompanied by an adult."

"I don't have time for this." Nadai touched her dagger hilts. "We need to go through."

The man gripped his spear easily. "Let me tell ye something, little lady. See those men behind ye working construction? They too are soldiers. One word from me and they will come. I don't care how strong ye think you are, we are professionals. We will make short work out of yer little friend and yerself." He leaned down to her level. "I would reconsider yer actions before ye do something foolish."

Link grinned. "I don't care."

The man gripped his spear tighter. "Is that a threat, boy?"

"Can I take him on, please?" Nadai begged.

"All yours."

Nadai feinted forward, before jumping to land on the spear as it thrust out at her. She sprung forward, leaving thin lines of blood on the man's unprotected skin. The man roared, as Nadai flipped over him and kicked the back of his head. He fell forward in front of Link.

Faster than Link expected, he heard footsteps behind him. He reacted instantly, dodging the swipe at his head. He rolled and came up, blocking the blow with his shield. The Hylian Shield fit him now, but the resulting vibrations were more than he remembered.

Link grinned. He swung his sword up and forced the two men against him back. He caught another sword against his own and forced it back. Nadai came up next to him, her own daggers spinning and tapping against the weapons that came at her, forcing them to move just enough to miss her.

The soldiers stepped back, their eyes wary.

"Who are ye?"

"Two kids who just want to pass."

One of the guards laughed. "Pass? Ye'll have to fight all of us and win!"

Link took a step forward. "Okay."

The guard panicked. "Get him!" He shouted.

Link held back, and only wounded the men as they attacked him. He didn't kill. He didn't want to kill any more than he had to. He only fought subconsciously, his mind focused on other things. Like why he was uncharacteristically more violent before. And why exactly it scared him more than any moon fall.

It didn't even matter that it was almost fifteen to one. Link had been trained by Wanderer and Shiek and fought against monsters more powerful than fifteen men. The techniques used against him were reminiscent to Wanderer's. Their strength was nothing like the horrors he had faced before. Despite the size and strength disadvantage, the Terminian soldiers didn't stand a chance.

Before too long the soldiers were picking themselves slowly off the ground. Link sheathed his sword and shield, panting from the exercise.

"And you had all the fun." Nadai pouted.

"You can have the next one." Link shrugged. "Let's get a move on."

Tatl stared at the two of them. "Just who are you guys?"

Link looked up at the fairy. "The Heroes of Time." He answered, taking the first steps forward. "I'm Link, a Hylian raised as a Kokiri. She's Nadai, a Hylian raised as a Gerudo. We came together and fought against Gannondorf by traveling through time."

Tatl shook her head. "But that's impossible."

"Maybe." Nadai answered. "One of our friends really doesn't believe us, even after we told her everything."

"But still, that's impossible." Tatl said. "Traveling through time? You're still kids!"

"The Goddesses chose us." Link shrugged. He paused. "Well, we did it." He said finally. "Let's do what we have to do and move on."

"Right." Nadai looked ahead, where the glimpses of the swamp could already be seen. "I want to know what's going on with the scrubs."

"Hm?" Tatl asked, dropping her further questions. "What about them?"

"Well, they are normally evil. There's a prejudice around them here in Termina. They're hated even though they are tolerated." Link said. "What's with them?"

"What you said." Tatl shrugged. "They've been enemies of the Terminian people for a long time now. Only with this King's new reign has a peace been reached between the Deku Scrubs and the Terminians and the rest of the other races."

"But why weren't they there for the ceremony?" Nadai asked. "If they want to fix things between them, why would they not show?"

"Maybe they don't really want to fix things?" Links asked.

Tatl shook her head. "Skull Kid spent some time with them, before he got the mask. They were looking forward to this year's ceremony more than anything else."

"What if Skull Kid did something?" Nadai said slowly.

"He wouldn't!"

"But if Majora was controlling him," Link reasoned, "he wouldn't have much of a choice. Skull Kid would do what he was told."

Tatl was silent.

"If Majora is doing anything like Gannondorf, he's trying to disrupt Termina." Nadai clenched her fists. "And that would include messing with the ceremony."

"Less people to interfere with his plans if they manage to catch wind with what's going on." Link nodded. "And it wouldn't matter if they stayed home or not, since the moon would kill everyone anyway."

"But the question is what did Majora do that made the Deku Scrubs not come?" Tatl asked.

"No idea." Link shrugged. "That older scrub yesterday was telling me something, but I didn't get to hear."

Tatl shivered. "It's gotta be bad if they decided not to show. It's gotta be something that upset the king enough not to do anything about it."

"Like what?"

Tatl was quiet for a moment. "It could very well be about his daughter. He loves her more than anything. Or it could be a war with the monkeys. Or it could be something entirely different."

"My rupees are on Skull Kid." Link stared at the swamp that was growing closer and closer. "He did something."

"Majora did something." Tatl corrected.

"Until that mask is off," Link said, "they're the same person."

Nadai stopped moving. "Something is coming."

Link also stopped. Tatl hovered close by to Link's hat. She turned to look behind.

"The guards aren't following us."

"It's from ahead." Link stared at the swamp. In the distance, something was rising from the trees and flying toward them.

"It's big too." Nadai's hands slipped down to her daggers. "And it's coming pretty fast."

They stood and waited for it to come closer, their hands on their weapons. Whatever it was, it was flying quickly towards them. It was also carrying something in its talons.

"It looks familiar." Link said.

"It's an owl." Tatl stated the obvious as it came close enough to see properly.

"Kaepora Gaebora!" Nadai shouted, arms raised high as she waved.

"I never thought I'd see you two here." The owl landed close to them. In his talons was a white monkey, badly injured, with blood staining its fur.

"What are you doing here?" Link asked.

"I should ask you the same thing." The owl said. "I came here after I had seen you in The Lost Woods many moons ago."

"We're on another quest." Link smiled cheekily.

The owl cocked his head to the side. "Another quest? You two are so young to do such things."

"But where's the fun in that?" Nadai grinned. "So what's going on with the monkey?"

Kaepora Gaebora hooted. "I don't quite know. I rescued it while it was attacked by Deku Scrubs."

"Is there another war?" Tatl asked.

The owl hooted once more. "I don't know. I don't speak monkey." The owl looked at the monkey on the ground. "He will need medical attention in any case."

Nadai was on her knees immediately, reaching into her pack for bandages. She took out a canteen and poured water over the wound before beginning to inspect it. It was a shallow cut, but it bled profusely. She dug inside her pack for an ointment Saria had given her.

"So why are you here?" Link turned to the owl. "Why Termina?"

"To run from Gannondorf." The owl hooted. "I know of what you said to me last we met, but that is in the future, and not now. I fear for my life there."

"I would too." Link muttered. "But for now, we are on a mission to stop Majora."

The owl did an odd hooting whistle. "Now that's a name I have not hears in over two decades. At least that long."

"Any advice you could give us on him?" Link asked. "We have a three days to stop him."

"Three days?" The owl shook his head. "That won't be enough."

"We are trying to rouse the giants of this land to help."

The owl was quiet. "I'm not familiar with these giants. I'm not good with Terminian lore."

Tatl smiled. "That's why I'm here."

Kaepora Gaebora nodded sagely. "Ah, a fairy guide. Very useful."

"Is there anything you can help us with?" Nadai asked without looking up from her charge.

"Perhaps." The owl shifted in his stance. "Magic here is different than in Hyrule. The same songs won't work as before. I doubt that what I will teach you would work."

"The Song of Time worked for us." Link said, reaching down and grabbing his Ocarina from his belt. "I bet whatever you teach us would help us immensely."

The owl was quiet. "The song I am about to play," the owl said slowly, "will grant you wings. It will help you move quickly over the land."

"Wings?" Link looked at him. "Like flap flap wings?"

"I don't know if they will be literal wings," the owl admitted. "But they shall help in any course."

Link nodded. "I'm ready."

"Wait!" Nadai stopped Kaepora Gaebora from hooting the song. "He's coming around."

The monkey was indeed awake. While he looked weak, his eyes shown as it darted from person to person. It jabbered at them in a way monkeys jabbered.

Link shrugged. "I have no idea what its saying. Play the song Kaepora Gaebora."

The monkey shrieked before the owl could hoot.

"I think it wants to tell us something." Tatl said. "But I don't understand monkey."

"How can we talk to a monkey if we don't speak it?" Nadai asked, putting away her medical equipment.

"Well, Deku Scrubs can." Tatl stated matter-of-factly. "I think they are the only ones who can."

Tatl and Nadai bother stared at Link. Kaepora Gaebora looked between the two of them and hooted softly

"What are they inferring, Link?"

Link dug into his pack, and brought out the Deku Mask. "This." He said. He shook his head. "I don't want to be a scrub again."

"Again?" The owl looked concerned. "You mind explaining yourself?"

Link sighed. "It's easier to show."

He slipped the mask up to his face. At once pain erupted from his body as it shrunk. His hands became wooden knobs once more. His weapons disappeared, and the Ocarina in his hands stretched into a saxophone.

The owl opened his beak in amazement, but didn't speak. The monkey went silent at the transformation. All was quiet.

"What the fuck?" The monkey finally said.

Link turned to him. "I can understand you?"

"What the fuck did ye just do?"

"Long story." Link stared at the monkey. "What is it that you wanted to tell us?"

"There's a problem. Could ye help me?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because the princess is in danger!"

Link's head hung. "Why should I care?"

"Ye don't care for the princess? But she's yer princess."

"She isn't. Long story." Link repeated. "Can you give me a shortened version?"

The monkey launched into the story. "The Deku Princess and her lover, looks kinda like ye if I think about it, were captured by some mysterious thing. One of our own, our elder saw it happen. He went to yer king to explain what happened. However, due to past hatred he didn't believe my elder. Yer king thinks we did it! He wants us to procure his daughter or he kills our elder!"

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Our elder knows where they were taken to. Me brothers and I don't. It's not like us monkeys could get an audience with our elder to find out where. Ye could go into the Deku Palace, find out where, and save the princess!"

Link groaned. "I don't have much choice in the matter, do I?"

"Not really." The monkey laughed. "We can help ye, but we don't want to run dead from those scrubs."

"So we're on our own."

"Ye are on your own." The monkey corrected. "Right now, in their state, they might not appreciate a Terminian coming into the palace."

"I guess." Link groaned once more. "Alright, we'll do it."

The monkey laughed again, but coughed as it messed with his wound. "I knew ye would do it!"

"What are you two talking about?"

Link turned to Nadai. "What?"

"What are you two talking about?"

"I know you can't understand monkey, but couldn't you hear me?"

"You were also jibbering and jabbering." Tatl said.

"I was? Weird."

"Well?" Prompted Nadai.

"Uh, long story made shorter," Link rushed, "The scrubs think that the princess have been taken by the monkeys. Only, the monkeys didn't do it. If the princess isn't returned the scrubs kill the monkey elder. I have to get into the palace, find the monkey elder and find out where the princess was taken and subsequently save the princess."

Nadai was silent. "You agreed to do it, didn't you."

Link sighed. "We have no choice. I bet that whatever took the princess and her lover is linked with Majora."

Nadai groaned. "I guess we have to get to the Deku Palace."

"That song of yours, Kaepora Gaebora, would be really nice to have now."

The owl nodded. "Or course. Instruments at the ready?"

The monkey reached out and gripped Link's arm. "Don't leave me here!"

Link nodded. "We'll take you with us, at least back to the swamp." He turned to the owl. "Ready."

The owl hooted a simple, uplifting tune. The two children repeated it. At the end of the song pain erupted from their backs. They looked behind them and two large translucent wings had appeared. Link flexed his shoulders, and the wings moved.

Nadai smiled. "This is kinda cool."

Link reached up to take off his mask, but thought better of it. "Why are all the songs here painful?"

The owl hooted. "I shall take the monkey." He said. "I'll fly him to his brothers."

Nadai nodded. "I'll wait outside the palace then."

Link sighed. "I guess I'm on my own on the inside then."

Tatl gripped onto Link's hat. "I'll go with Link. I know the Deku Scrubs well enough. I can help him."

Link closed his eyes. It hurt him every time Tatl touched him. On an emotional scale, really. Navi was his best friend. He had traveled with her for forever. They had faced the worst things in life. She had brought him through hell and back. While she hadn't been able to save him, she knew him better than anyone else. And that included Nadai.

Traveling with Tatl had been a temporary pain at first. Traveling with Tatl was necessary now. And it hurt every time the fairy reminded him of Navi. And that was almost in everything Tatl did. It was to no fault of her own; it's just that everything that Tatl did reminded her of Navi. And Navi and he shared a dangerous secret that he could never talk about. A secret that burned his insides whenever he thought about it.

Which was a lot easier not to think about it when he wasn't reminded about Navi.

"Good to me." Link forced himself to smile. There was nothing he could do but grin and bear it. There was nothing he could do but live with the demons that threatened to spill out of him and show himself as a monster that only he knew he could be.

And that frightened him more than anything else.

He moved his shoulders. Bit by bit he slowly rose into the air. Beside him, Nadai rose into the air. Faster and faster until she was high above him. She let out a whoop of joy. Link looked below him and shuddered slightly. It was much safer far below where the ground was stable.

But as frightening as it was to fly, it was freeing. The air was crisp up that high. The view was something that either Link nor Nadai had seen before. If they reached out, they could almost touch the clouds that hung low. A western wind blew at them, pushing them gently to the east. However, with their new wings, it was easy to fly without it.

Nadai did see them first, and pointed them out to Link. From their vantage point, they could see almost all of Termina. To the north they could see a storm raging, with dark thunderclouds rumbling among the mountains. From the west they could see the sea not that far from Clock Town.

"The wind tends to come in from the sea." Tatl whispered in Link's ear. "That's how the swamp is so big and the mountains are so terrible in winter. Only," she added, "it's not winter right now."

Kaepora Gaebora led the troop off to the south. The swamp was vast, stretching for miles upon miles before their eyes. Not too far into the swamp was a large river. It came from inside the swamp, and it weaved back into the swamp. Heading down river, the owl stayed high above the trees.

Following the owl, they traveled for several minutes until they spotted a large palace. While it wasn't tall and imposing like Hyrule castle or Gannondorf's castle, it spread out much further along the ground. From their angle, they could see most of the place composed of large, winding gardens encircling a building in the center. A single path from the river headed to the middle building.

The owl hovered up above them. "That is the Deku Palace." His words carried in the calm air. "It would be best to land out of sight and walk ahead."

"Thank you!"

"No need to shout, young miss." Kaepora Gaebora hooted. "I'll be to the north. The monkeys have set up camp near the two witches."

"Witches?" Link called out. "What witches?"

But the owl and the monkey were gone, heading to the north. The two children looked at each other. In silent agreement they made their way to the ground. Link came in a bit too steep, and landed in a heap. Nadai landed close by, landing in a round-off.

Link picked himself up. "Alright, wait here." He said. "Both of you."

"What?" Tatl hovered by him. "I thought—"

"It's fine." Link cut her off. "I can do this."

Nadai nodded. "It's fine." She turned to the fairy. "Let him go in."

Link disappeared into the foliage. Nadai leaned up against a tree and sat down. Tatl hovered nervously.

"How can you just sit there and be so calm? He's going to get himself hurt!"

"Think about it." Nadai closed her eyes. "How many Deku Scrubs have a fairy?"

Tatl hesitated. "Well—"

"None that I know of. Though all the ones I know are dead." Nadai answered her own question. "If you went in there, you could tell him where to go and what to do and that's fine and all. Only he would've been caught much faster. And while he could fight his way out, it wouldn't be wise to do so since we only have three days."

"It's not even midday!"

"Every second counts." Nadai paused. "While it's true we can turn back time, it doesn't mean we should rely on it. Sometimes, there are times when we can't turn it back. Somethings are impossible to change."

Malon came to her mind. Her sister, her flesh and blood. Malon, Talon, and Ingo all died when they were adults. And when they went back into the past, they were now very much alive. Nothing Link or Nadai could say could stop them. Nothing Link and Nadai did now would change anything. The future was already written, with or without them.

"Didn't you hear what the guard had said?"

"What?" Tatl asked. "You mean the one at the gate?"

"He said the same thing to me as he did the first time we met him." Nadai opened one eye. "Now why would he do that?" She closed her eye.

"But you already met him." Tatl said. "He already—"

"Listen." Nadai cut her off. "Link and I went back in time. You were touching Link when we played the song, so you too went back in time. You retained your memories. We retained our memories. No one else has."

"I…what?"

"That guard should've remembered me. I bet we could do everything all over again and no one would be the wiser that we had done it already. The things that we effect don't matter if we go back in time."

"So, those guards are going to be just fine?"

"And that monkey is going to die if I don't help him next time." Nadai said softly. "This isn't as easy as the games you played with Skull Kid. I don't know how much you think you know about this quest of ours, but this is a life or death situation. People are going to die. People are going to get hurt. We can't save everyone. Link knows that. I think he figured it out before I did."

"How do you—"

"He assaulted the salesman." Nadai answered simply. "He wouldn't have done that if there was any lasting effects. At least," she added softly, "I hope he wouldn't have."

"But that doesn't change the fact that he doesn't know what to do!"

Nadai smiled. "You think that the two of us survived this long, doing what we do and not learned anything? We've been in tougher binds before. Most of the time, Link has been the one to come up with the answer to problems unsolvable. We'll be fine. He's smarter than he looks."

Tatl hovered down to land on Nadai. "Now that's reassuring."

Nadai suppressed a giggle. "He'll be back soon enough. Just relax until he's back."

"And what if we get ambushed?"

Nadai smiled. "You really think I'd be like this if I couldn't tell we were alone? I'd know when someone is coming. I'm not an amateur."

With those words Nadai settled in to doze. Meanwhile, Tatl gazed anxiously to the Deku Palace, wondering just who these children were.

Link blended easily into the crowds when he walked into the palace gardens. Around him Deku Scrubs were bustling about, performing duties. With everyone busy and moving, they wouldn't notice a stranger.

He followed a group of scrubs as they walked to where a scrub stood about issuing orders.

"Now, now," the scrub glanced at the papers he held in his hands. "Ye three head to the kitchens. Report to the chef there. Ye four go to the pantry and collect these items." He hands a paper to a scrub who ran off. "And ye two go to Big-Boss. He needs help."

By now all of the scrubs were gone, leaving Link. The head scrub didn't seem to notice him, as he continued to work through the papers in his hand.

"Uh, excuse me?"

The scrub looked over his papers, and seeing no one moved his papers completely to the side.

"Ah. And ye are?" The scrub looked intently down at Link.

"Uh, I was told to report here."

"Yes, well…" the scrub trailed off as he resumed his paper checking. "There doesn't seem to be anything completely necessary right now. Everything needing to be done can be done at the day of the feast."

"Feast?"

The scrub eyed Link warily. "Who are ye exactly?"

"A scrub." Link hastily answered. "Originally from Hyrule. I only arrived yesterday."

"Ah yes." The scrub nodded. "Yesterday was rather hectic."

"So I thought I could help." Link went on. "Maybe something with the prisoner?"

The scrub laughed. "Of course!" He reached about for a particular paper. "Here, take this to the pantry. He'll fill ye up just right."

"I can't read, sir." Link glanced at the lettering on the paper, but it wasn't in any sort of language that he was used to.

"Of course." The scrub tried to suppress a smile. "The education of our brothers there isn't the best."

Link stared blankly at him.

"Anywho, this paper dictates the amount food to be delivered to the prisoner. The feast itself isn't until the day after tomorrow. That's how long we have decided to have the monkeys deliver us our princess. When they fail to deliver our princess back, we shall commence with our feast." The scrub smiled cruelly. "And we do need to fatten up that monkey before we feast."

Link shivered.

"Oh, monkey is quite delicious." The scrub smiled again, but a comforting one this time. "It's a delicacy that we have here in the Swamp. I know the Hyrulian scrubs don't experience such a thing. When ye return to your brothers and our Lord Gannondorf, tell them of the delicacy that ye have had."

Link swallowed. "Will do." He took a step back. "I'd best be on my way then."

The scrub nodded. "It'll be off to the west." The scrub pointed the direction. "The scrub in charge should be easy to spot."

Link nodded. "Thank you." He ran off.

Gannondorf? His influence reached even here? He stared ahead, towards a distant figure slowly growing larger. How could they support such a man?

He arrived at the pantry and he handed his paper to the scrub in charge. The scrub sent off a rapid list of orders, and another scrub made together a basket of nuts and fruits and mushrooms. Link was handed the basket and was turned around to where the big building was.

"Behind the Palace Proper is the Prison. He'll be in a cage outside."

Link walked with his burden dutifully. He was getting a sickening feeling in his stomach. The sooner he was out the better.

As he came closer, he spotted a giant scrub pacing back and forth in the Palace Proper. He skirted quickly, not wanting to be scene, and came to the Prison. Two guards stood several paces away from the cage. Inside, sitting rather calmly, was the monkey. Its white hair was longer and bushier than the other monkey Link had met. This had to be the elder.

Link found a small door in the cage. He opened it, and dumped the food on the ground. He closed the cage. The monkey went about eating the food on the ground. Link watched for a moment, before leaning in close.

"They're going to kill you, you know."

"I know." The monkey replied softly. "I resigned myself to this fate when I was captured."

Link looked at the monkey in the eye. "You know where she is. Where is she?"

"My people don't have her."

"I'm not talking about that." Link shook his head slightly. "You know where she is."

The monkey looked up at Link for the first time. "Just who are ye?"

"Just someone willing to do to do something." Link stared at him. "Where is she?"

The monkey was silent. "At the Deku's worship place. Some sort of monster took her."

"And the scrub she was with?"

"Ran after. I don't think he'll live."

"Thank you." Link turned around.

"That monster is going to kill ye if ye follow. Ye'll need an army to beat it."

Memories flooded into Link's mind. Of a blood-soaked floor. Of hundreds of bodies dead at his hands. Of his aching body. Of the slow steps he took up the tower.

"Don't worry about me." Link said softly.

He walked away, leaving the monkey to eat the food on the ground.

Wang: Link doesn't have any good memories, does he?

Time Stop: Not really.

Wang: It's a little sad.

Time Stop: It is.

Wang: Waaaaaahh!

Time Stop: Please Review!


	8. Chapter 8

Shadow: Who's ready for some lore?

Wang: Me! Oh, me!

Shadow: Just remember, we don't own Legend of Zelda.

Chapter 8: Midnight Picnic

Nadai glanced up as Link appeared from the underbrush. Night had almost fallen.

"What took so long?" She asked.

"Talked to the monkey and found out where the princess is. But I couldn't escape myself until just now."

Nadai got up, stretching out her legs. "So where is the princess?"

"They said something about a place of worship." Both of them looked to Tatl. "You know anything about it?"

The fairy looked down at them from the branch she was on. "I have heard of it, but I haven't seen it before."

"So how do we find it?"

"Well, I would say go back and ask the scrubs, but it took so long in the first place for you to get out."

Link nodded. "Then what about the monkeys?"

Nadai finished stretching. "They should know." She agreed. "We should fly north."

Link brought the saxophone to his lips. "Then let's go."

Playing the song, the two children grew wings and flew up into the twilight air. The air was far crisper than earlier that morning. It filled their lungs and awakened them. They turned north and flew close to the tree-line.

Link caught sight of it, a hut in a clearing. Several small fires dotted around the clearing. The large form of Kaepora Gaebora could be seen surrounded by the small white monkeys. The monkeys scattered as they landed. Nadai did a quick tally in her head. The monkey had been right; if the monkeys had decided to attack back at the Deku Scrubs, they wouldn't stand a chance.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" The injured monkey called out to them. "Where's the elder!"

The other monkeys slowly quieted down as Link told his tale. Bit by bit they came closer to the three of them. By the end of the story, all of the monkeys were hopping about, their terrified cries identifiable even to Nadai and Kaepora Gaebora.

"But how do we find this temple?" Link ignored the other monkeys.

"We know how to get in the temple, but not where it is." The injured monkey closed his eyes.

"What?"

"There is an ancient song that opens the doors of the temple." The monkey went on. "I can teach ye the song, but the way to get to the temple is unknown."

"Teach me the song then." Link brought the saxophone to his lips. "Anything helps."

Nadai shifted her footing. This part of the swamp was very much soggier than by the Deku Palace. She brought her flute to her lips. The monkey started to howl, its pitch changing here and there. The mournful tune was echoed by Link and Nadai.

"Ye plan on heading to the temple?" A voice caused all of them to turn.

Kotake and Koume were walking to them.

Link's mouth dropped open. Nadai whirled about and brought out her daggers. Before they were halfway from their sheaths strong hands locked her arms in place. Magical hands, one red pair and one blue pair held onto Link and Nadai respectively. They were captive, they couldn't move under the powerful strength of the conjured hands.

"Easy child." The red haired witch smiled. "Ye mistake us for someone else, right?"

Nadai stared up at the woman. "You're not Kotake?"

The witch laughed aloud. "So ye know our sisters? Ye must be Gerudo!"

The hands that held them back released themselves. Link brought his hand up to his face and pulled off the mask. Instantly he was taller, and back to his Hylian body.

"Who are you?" He asked.

The witch with blue hair laughed. "Intersting curse ye have boy." She grew more serious, but the smile remained. "We're the witches of the swamp. Me name is Koume."

Both Link and Nadai's faces screwed up in confusion. "W-What?"

"And me name is Kotake." The red haired witch said. "Ye see, we were Gerudos once ourselves before we were sent away."

"Sent away?" Nadai asked. "They never mentioned when I was there that you existed."

"And they wouldn't." The blue witch pouted. "Ye see, long ago we were once whole with our sisters. But there was evil in their hearts. They performed a dark ritual which separated the good out of them. We coalesced from that good. We tried to help them, but instead they banished us. We've been here in the swamp since."

"That's not mentioned in the old stories." Nadai shook her head. "But I can see why those two witches would do such a thing."

Kotake smiled. "That's why we also look so young. Doing evil adds years to yer complexion." Nadai smiled too; their smiles were contagious. It was true. Both witches looked as if they were middle-aged, and not ancient crones.

"So where are we going?" Link asked. "Where's that temple?"

"We'll take ye there on our boat." Koume snapped her fingers and a boat came out from the edge of the swamp. "Just hop aboard and we'll get ye there in a jiffy."

Nadai smiled wide. "Thank you so much."

Kotake smiled in return. "Let me quick set ye up with a care basket."

As the red haired witch left, Koume took Nadai's hands. "Just promise us one thing."

"What?"

"Ye come back and tell us all about how Hyrule is." Nadai laughed along-side the witch. "It's been a few centuries since we have been in Hyrule. It'll be so nice to hear how everything was going."

"It's a deal." Nadai answered.

Kotake returned and handed Link a large basket. He peaked inside and spotted meat and cheese and bread and jellies. There was some fresh fruit in there, along with a flagon of what looked like milk. He lifted the basket, which was quite heavy, and made his way into the boat. Nadai joined him a moment later.

"Be careful," Kaepora Gaebora hooted at them. "May the Goddesses have their hand in your quest!"

The boat lurched forward quickly. They sped into the darkness of the swamp, lit only by the large moon overhead. They were quiet for quite some time, the only sounds came from the gently rocking of wood on water.

"They were nice." Nadai said softly, breaking the silence.

"I guess so." Link shrugged. "I was too busy trying to figure out what they said."

Nadai giggled. "You want to come back with me?"

"I'd like that." Link smiled.

Tatl watched above as there was an uneasy silence between them.

"Listen," Link began.

"What?"

"It's uh," Link stammered. "I want to talk to you."

"About what?"

"About us." He said softly. "I feel like we're –"

"Yes." Nadai rushed, cutting Link off.

"I – what?"

"I feel like we need to talk too." She whispered. "Like, a proper talk."

"About everything?"

"About everything." Nadai affirmed. She leaned back in the boat to rest against Link. "There's so many things that we need to talk about."

Link was silent. "I want to too."

"After we save the world, again?"

They both laughed softly. "Yes." Link agreed. "But…"

"But what?"

"I can't." Link looked off into the darkness. "I can't talk about it."

"But you wanted to talk about it!" Nadai leaned forward and turned to look at him.

"I do!" Link protested. "But I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" Nadai narrowed her eyes. "Do you not trust me?"

"I trust you, it's just—"

"Then you can tell me."

"I can't!" Link groaned. "It's complicated."

"It can't be that complicated."

"It just is, okay?"

Tatl definitely had more than her share of confusion. "Just who are you guys?"

Both Link and Nadai turned their attention to the fairy above. Their argument temporarily forgotten, they both blushed as they stared at the fairy.

"The Heroes of Time?" Link offered.

"Nadai and Link?" Nadai said.

"No, I mean, just who are you? Why are you here? Why do you care?" Tatl flitted down to sit on the edge of the boat. An uncomfortable silence answered her. "I just feel like you two aren't telling me something that is kinda important."

Link nodded. "Because for the purpose of our quest, it isn't important." He looked to Nadai. "Can we discuss this after the world is saved?"

"The part where you tell me what's going on or the part when you don't tell me why you won't tell me." There was a bite to her words.

Link groaned, hanging his head. "Nothing I say will make you happy will it?"

"Nope." Nadai let out a grin, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Link laughed hesitantly before looking over Nadai's shoulder. "We have less than two days to save that princess."

"One day." Tatl corrected. Both Hylians looked at her. "What? At dawn on the third day they're going to kill that poor monkey."

"And you know this why?"

Tatl shrugged. "Cause I do? Deku Scrubs don't start their festivals until either dawn or dusk. And they last until the sun either sets or rises again. My guess is that even though this isn't a festival it is going to be a feast of massive proportions. The Deku Scrubs might even go to war afterwards. They'll feast and then they'll hunt the monkeys into extinction."

"So we have just over a day to do this if we want the monkeys to live." Nadai sighed. "Let's hope this temple isn't hard."

Link laughed. "Nothing as hard as the ones in Hyrule, right?"

Nadai laughed too. "Could you imagine if that temple was something like the Water Temple?"

Link groaned. "Anything but that one."

Nadai smiled. "Imagine if we didn't have a Ruto guide us. We would've been lost for so long in there!"

At those words the muscles in Link's jaw tightened. Dark memories flashed in his mind, of his past. "I can imagine that quite clearly." He tried to say as light-heartedly as possible.

Nadai noticed Link's change in posture and his tone easily. But she didn't mention it. She turned around in her seat and resumed looking ahead.

Tatl glanced between the two of them confused. Sighing to herself, she resigned to sitting in the silence that draped itself back over them.

An hour passed maybe two. But before midnight struck they found themselves coming up to a waterfall. They all exchanged curious glances as their boat headed to it. As they came closer and closer to the water, Tatl got more and more worried. Just as they were about to go under the waterfall, their boat tipped itself. As if there was a rocket on the back of their boat, they zoomed straight up.

Link held onto the boat with one hand, the basket of food with another, and clenched his legs as tight as he could to the seat below him. Ahead of him, Nadai gripped the boat tight with two hands. Just as they thought they could go no higher their boat evened out and they were going upstream.

In the moonlight, they found themselves in the middle of a lake, the edges hemmed in by a large earthen walls. The boat went quickly until the water was no longer pulling them backwards. Slowing down, the boat stopped in the middle of the lake. Not the direct middle, but off a bit to the side.

"I guess this is it." Nadai said.

"We play the song then." Link brought his Ocarina to his lips.

Together they played the song they had just learned. The mournful tune echoed strangely on the lake's water. As the song ended, a large stone structure pierced its way out from the water and rose into the air. The boat rose and fell with the resulting waves, but stayed in its spot. As the water finished churning, they found themselves in the boat in front of a platform with closed and shut door.

"Nice." Link got out of the boat. He brought along the basket of food.

Nadai got out of the boat too. As soon as Tatl flew into the air the boat started on its way back, heading to the waterfall.

"Hey! That's our boat!" Tatl shouted.

"We don't need it anymore." Nadai smiled. "We have wings, remember?"

Tatl looked darkly at the retreating boat. "That doesn't mean that it wasn't ours."

"We were just using it for the time being." Link took off his boots and socks and sat at the edge of the water, dipping his feet in. He sighed. "Oh that's nice."

Nadai followed suit. "This is nice." She said softly. "Even though I did nothing all day today."

Link shook his head. "We did fight off those guards, remember?"

Nadai nodded. "That we did. I guess we deserve a break."

Link pulled the basket closer to them. "Hungry?"

Tatl looked at one then the other and then back again. "Food?"

They looked at her. "Yes. Food." Nadai said.

"How can you eat at a time like this? We have a job to do!"

Link handed meat and cheese and bread to Nadai who began to cut them with one of her daggers. "But we're hungry."

"We are on a time limit!"

"So we are." Link shrugged. "But you can't fight on an empty stomach."

"We've fought while hungry loads of times." Nadai pointed out.

"True, but we've had the blue circles and all that." Link reminded. "So we dealt with it."

"But how can you eat at a time like this!" Tatl shouted. "If you guys don't hurry, that monkey is going to die!"

Nadai smirked. "You really think that'll we'll let that happen? We'll save the princess lickety-split."

Tatl looked unsure, which Link smiled reassuringly at her.

"Trust us." Link ignored the yawn welling up inside him. "We're professionals."

Nadai nodded. "We've fought off against adults, flew halfway across Termina, and successfully change our shapes in front of you."

"I did the shape changing here," Link smirked. Nadai swiped at him, but Link dodged it as there wasn't any ill-intent behind it.

"We would think that at this point you would think that you could tell we were more than your normal, everyday average ten year olds."

Tatl went silent. It was true that the two Hylians in front of her had done some spectacular things in the past few days. Time traveling, shape changing, fighting, and flying all included. But they were only ten year old kids! They were so much younger than anything that Skull Kid could possibly through at them.

She watched as the two kids ate the food given to them by the witches. Just who were these kids? What had they done in the past? What will they do in the future? Just how strong were they?

"Hey, Tatl."

Nadai's words brought her out of her thoughts. "Yeah?"

"What can you tell us about this place?"

"The temple?"

"Yeah. You said you knew of it but not where it was. That means you know what's what about this place, right?"

Tatl frowned. "I only know the legends of the giants, but not much else other than that."

Link swallowed his overly-large sized bite of fruit. "Anything that you can help us with would be good." He took another bite. "Remember, we are outsiders."

Tatl grimaced as flecks of the peach came out of his mouth. "Yes, well," she began. "Long ago there were the four Giants. These giants came to Termina and decided to shape it while the land was still young. Each Giant made each place a home, leaving the center of Termina for the moon."

"Why the moon?"

"The man in the moon was good friends with the giants." Tatl waved her hand as if the point was inconsequential. "So that's why we have the mountains, the swamp, the canyons, and the sea. Over time, each of the four main races that came to populate Termina chose a region and decided to pay their respects to the Giants properly."

"And the four races are…?" Nadai trailed off.

"The ancestors to the modern day inhabitants. Zoras, Gorons, Deku Scrubs, and the Terminians." Tatl answered. "The Deku Scrubs took the swamp, the Zoras took the sea, the Gorons took the mountains, and the Terminians took the canyons. Each region made a temple to properly pay its respects. However, that was a long time ago and most of these places are abandoned."

"Abandoned?"

"The festival that will be held to honor the moon was once a celebration of a massive scale. They also praised the Giants during this time. Over time everyone moved from the individual temples to Clock Town. Now only the moon is celebrated, though most people don't know why."

"But what do you mean by abandoned?" Repeated Link.

"Just that. As the people moved to celebrate the moon alone, the temples went into disarray and were abandoned to time. The one in the canyon is lost altogether to time, as the Terminians left the canyon for the center of Termina to create Clock Town. For the Zoras, an earthquake brought the temple into deeper water. For being so used to change, I think they were the first ones to abandon the tradition. It was them or the Terminians, it's hard to tell.

"The Gorons use their temple more for a training grounds for their young males now than a place for worship. It's considered a rite of passage for their Gorons to go to the temple to pray and then to return. They may be the most steadfast to the old ways than anyone else. The Deku Scrubs only come once a year here, usually during the first week of the new year, and pray for a prosperous year for their crops."

"So that's why no one would be here now." Link surmised. "The new year was months ago."

"Maybe." Tatl shrugged. "But I'm surprised that you two want the giants to help."

"It was your idea."

Tatl blushed. "So?"

"I'm just curious." Link went on. "How does a fairy learn all this old history?"

"The Great Fairy." She answered quickly.

Nadai nodded sagely. "You really think that these Giants can help?"

"I don't know how strong your goddesses are," Tatl said proudly, "but the Giants are the strongest beings in Termina. They can do it."

"Just how though?"

"We have to rouse them, that's all." Tatl said as if it was that simple. "By going to the temples, we should be able to rouse them and bring them back to their full power."

Nadai swallowed her milk. "Full power? You mean to say that they don't have any power currently?"

"The Great Fairy thinks that they are asleep, kinda like hibernating I guess?" Tatl shrugged. "By rousing them, they will wake up and give us a hand."

"I see." Link leaned back to rest on his elbows.

Nadai followed suit, but instead of her elbows she rested on her back. "You think we should go in?"

Link yawned. "I'd rather fall asleep." He answered truthfully.

"Sleep!" Tatl exclaimed. "At a time like this?"

Link shrugged, already feeling sleep tug at his eyelids. "Hey, I'm a growing boy. What can I say?"

Within moments he was asleep. Nadai turned to look at Tatl and shrugged. Within moments she too was asleep. The fairy looked between the two of them; first one, then the other, then the other, and back again. She groaned and settled to wait until they woke up. She looked ahead to the sky and the stars. Her gaze was unmistakably tugged to the north, where Skull Kid was with her brother. There was trouble on the horizon, trouble that she couldn't handle on her own. Their fate, and hers, rested on the two sleeping kids below her.

And that frightened her immensely.

Time Stop: We probably just got all of that lore wrong.

Static: Undoubtedly.

Time Stop: But it is our story, so we'll stick with it!

Static: Possibly.

Time Stop: Please Review!


	9. Chapter 9

Wang: Time for the first temple!

Static: We don't own a thing.

Chapter 9: Odolwa

They woke up with the sun as it crested the earthen walls to bathe them in golden light. Tatl fluttered about, having stayed awake nervously for the majority of the night. Link stretched out, working out the kinks in his back from falling asleep on his shield. Nadai got up and began to pace, getting the blood flowing.

Link reached for the bread from the previous night. "Hungry?" He asked, ripping apart the bread into two equal-ish pieces.

Nadai caught the bread when he tossed it to her. She took a bite. "It shouldn't be too bad inside," she reassured when she saw the fairy.

Tatl shook, exasperated. "How would you know? What if you're wrong!"

Link shrugged. "We're not wrong." He stood up, and put his shoes and socks back on. "This temple can't be that complicated. This is a place of worship, not a stronghold of the damned."

Tatl shivered. "But what about the thing that took the princess?"

Nadai finished her breakfast and smiled. "What did I say earlier about us being not your normal kids? We've got this. Take a step back and watch."

Link took out his sword, and swung it experimentally. "I might need a new weapon soon." He commented, "the Kokiri Sword isn't as long as it was before."

"It's the same length," Nadai said. "You just got bigger."

Link shrugged. He looked at the door. "Ready?"

Nadai grinned. "Ready."

Tatl sighed, resigning herself, and sat down on her shoulders. "You have less than a day to save the princess and bring her back to the palace."

Link smiled. It vanished as the thoughts of his past came back to him. "Piece of cake." He said.

Striding forward he pushed open the door, and entered the temple. He let his eyes adjust to the low-light. It had a high ceiling, and it stretched out ahead of him. Several platforms with bulbous flowers on them were dotted here and there. Water lay beneath them, just out of the light.

Link looked at the distance between the platforms. "I definitely won't reach that."

Nadai shrugged. "Well, we do have the flowers."

Taking a running start, she jumped and flew through the air. She landed on a platform, and kicked off of it. She landed again, but didn't go as far. Within a minute or two, she had made it to the other side of the expanse to stand next to the torch there.

Link brought out the mask, and changed into a scrub. Instantly he was sucked into the flower at his feet. He waited until he was pollen filled and then pushed up. He swam through the air, moving his arms and legs forward. He landed on the next platform. As he landed on the flower, he was sucked back in to be re-pollened.

It took longer than Nadai, but he made it across to stand next to her. Staying as a scrub, he followed her into the next room. It was wide, and tall. There was another story above them, with direct access to see it but not to get to it. In the middle, floating on the water sat a wooden platform with a torch stand that was unlit. Flowers were here and there on the water. They weren't the same kind of flower that Link would be sucked into, but rather flowers with broad petals. To the left stood one door, and to the right stood another.

"Somethings wrong." Tatl whispered. "It feels like…like…"

"Like something evil is here." Link finished for her. "Something's off."

Nadai went to the water. "My guess is the water. Unless," she added, "it's supposed to be purple."

They took a closer look. It was purple, and it gave off a foul odor. "This definitely is poisoned." Link muttered.

Tatl shuddered. "Do you think that that monster that took the princess did this?"

Link shrugged. "Maybe. It's more than likely."

Nadai stood back up straight and stretched. "You know what you were saying about the giants needed to be roused?"

Tatl nodded. "Yeah, that's what the Great Fairy said."

"I think it's more serious than that." Nadai said. "I think that these giants are being purposefully held out of this."

"What! How?"

"If their temples are being attacked, maybe their powers are being lessened." Link reasoned. "If that's the case, then the giants have less power because their followers don't believe in them?"

Nadai shrugged. "That could be it. But I'm thinking more along the line of the sages. If Saria couldn't access her powers to help beat Gannondorf because the temple was overrun, wouldn't the same concept work here?"

Tatl spoke slowly, trying to comprehend. "So if Majora is trying to destroy the world, then he knows Terminian lore enough to know that the giants would try to stop him. So he sent monsters to the temples to stop the giants and distract them from the moon falling down?"

Nadai nodded. "Something like that I guess." She pointed to the door on the right. "That door is open a bit."

Link peered that way. "Open?"

Tatl flew over to it. "Who could've done that?"

"The Princess and her lover were attacked by a monster." Link recalled. "The monster took the Princess. Her lover went after it. He might have tried to stop the monster."

"Then where is he?" Nadai asked.

The image of a stump, with the twisted, terrified face of a Deku Scrub came to him. "I think Majora got to him."

Tatl came back to him. "Now that you mention it, Skull Kid wasn't all himself right before we met."

"You don't say?" Link asked. "He must have killed him, or cursed him."

Tatl clutched her head. "No, no, no, no, no," she repeated to herself. She sank to the ground. "He wouldn't do that, he couldn't do that."

Link closed his eyes, trying to keep as much frustration out of his voice as possible. "Tatl. You should get it through your head that Skull Kid is gone, and Majora remains. Until that damn mask is off of him, your friend is gone."

Nadai reached down and picked up Tatl. "Sad to say, but it is true." She said. "Come on, you can sit on my shoulders for now." She placed the fairy on her shoulder. "Now all you have to do is hold on tight and watch."

Link smiled, though the effect was diminished due to his form. "We'll have this place done in a jiffy."

Nadai jumped to a flower, then another then another. They held her weight, though they did dip dangerously close to the water level. She went to the door on the right and stood by it. Link hopped across the poisonous water to each flower. He didn't know for certain, but he was sure that if he was in his normal body that he would sink the flower easily.

When he got back to stand on stone he rubbed his feet furiously.

"What?"

Link looked up at Nadai. "I'm made of wood, the water got soaked into my feet."

He stood back up, but felt pan as he stood. "Oh that's gonna hurt."

"Change back into a Hylian." Nadai suggested. "Would that work?"

Link went to his face and took off the mask. The pain diminished but felt like a dull ache in his muscles. "Less," he grimaced. "But certainly more manageable than being a scrub."

He followed Nadai through the open door. The room was filled with water, with a single platform in the middle of the room with a flower on it. On the four walls were stone landings leading to doors. Above them was another level, with a similar layout to the floor they were on. To their right, however, was a crumbing mess. Someone had fought something over there, and the landing to the right of them was no longer upright and stable. Instead, it was slouched over, as if something had crashed into it and cause it to collapse on itself.

Link pointed up to the door on the second floor to the right. "There's something up there."

Tatl followed his finger. "I don't see anything."

Nadai fingered the daggers on her belt. "I sense it to."

"Is it that monster?"

"I don't think so." Link walked to the edge of the landing and judged the distance. "At least, I don't think it's the monster that took that princess."

Nadai ran past him and jumped through the air. "Wanna find out then?"

Without waiting for his response, she leapt from rock to rock to stand on the landing above. It wavered with her weight, but it held. "It's certainly not stable."

Link nodded. "I take it that I'll have to be a scrub again."

He put the mask back on and shrunk in size. He ran and jumped. He hopped across the water to the first rock, ignoring the pain in his feet. He jumped from rock to rock, clambering and climbing as needed. He got to the top and stood next to Nadai. The pain in his feet was stronger, but still bearable. The structure wobbled.

"I'm scared." Tatl whispered.

Nadai ignored her and opened the door, walking inside. Link came a moment later. The door closed shut behind them and locked itself with a small click. Something was on the ceiling, and it was falling to them. As it landed, Link took off the mask, reverting back to his Hylian self.

The Lizalfos standing before them was twice as tall as anything that they had met in Hyrule. It also bore two long swords that glinted in the torchlight.

"Can I have this one?" Link asked.

"But you had the last one." Nadai argued. She took out the daggers from their sheaths. "And you got to go into the deku palace without me."

Link shrugged. "You could've put on the mask."

Nadai shook her head. "Not my mask." She stepped forward. "Now relax, I want some fun."

Tatl flew off of Nadai's shoulder and flew up above. She could see everything that happened, though she couldn't quite believe it herself. Nadai was just as strong as Link in their younger state. She was also more than a tad faster than Link. The Lizalfos, despite being a terrifying force, was no match to the speed of Nadai.

She dodged around the swipes of the lizard, and cut along his scales, opening up dozens of small wounds. She danced backward, waiting for the monster to come to her before striking again. Tatl realized what Nadai was doing close to when the battle was over with. She was like a hunter, playing with her food.

"You know, you don't have to tease him like that."

Nadai wiped the sweat from her brow. "I needed the fun." She answered. "It feels like I've been doing nothing the past couple of days."

Link shrugged. "Fair enough," he said. He pointed to the chest that had materialized on the other side of the room. "Boss key?"

Nadai shook her head. "If that was the sub-boss, then this place is far easier than I thought."

They walked to the chest and opened it up. Nadai reached down and pulled out a bow and quiver with arrows.

"Another bow." Link moaned. He grinned, "Another thing that I can't use."

"I beat the monster, I get the reward." Nadai held the bow up. "And it's small enough that I can use it without hurting myself."

"Maybe you've done some growing yourself."

Nadai smiled. "Maybe I have."

They left the room. In the moment before the landing collapsed on them, Nadai and Link spotted the eye that hung on the wall. Link fell forward, aiming for the platform in the middle of the room. Nadai snapped the bow out, and jumped forward in the air. She aimed and fired. The arrow hit the eye. She pushed off of Link's back, sending him down, and landed on the landing on the opposite of the room they had come out of.

Link landed on the flower as the platform rose up, activated by the eye being hit. He changed into a deku and went into the flower. He popped up once he was properly pollened and swam through the air to the landing by Nadai.

"You didn't have to push off of me like that."

"Bu where's the fun in that?" Teased Nadai. She opened the door. "Besides, it was obvious that the platform would rise up."

"Not completely obvious to me," Tatl complained.

The rest of the fairy's words were cut short as they came face to face with a frog that was as tall as Link was when he was an adult. It was orange and black in a swirling pattern that they didn't recognize. It reached out with one webbed hand toward them. Link reached out his own hand in curiosity, until Tatl knocked it away.

"Don't touch it, its poison!"

Link stepped back, and the frog let out a loud bellow. The frog hopped back and landed on top of a large, circular rock. Nadai trained her bow on it.

"So we should attack?"

"No clue."

The words died in Tatl's throat as the rock shifted and stood up taller. Four blue legs popped out, and a squat, angry looking turtle head poked its head out. The turtle and the frog roared at them.

"What?" Link said.

"It's a giant turtle, and a frog on its back." Nadai said. "Are we supposed to fight them now?"

The turtle tucked in its extremities, and began to spin. A second later it shot forward, frog still on its back. Surprised, it hit Link and he flew off to the side where he hit the wall and slumped to the ground. Nadai was clipped, and she spun in place to avoid the force.

"How the hell do we fight that thing?" Nadai shouted.

She took aim and shot at the frog. The frog ducked its head and narrowed its bulbous eyes. The frog shouted out, and the turtle spun her way. She waited until the last second until she moved, narrowly missing the impact.

Link pushed himself back up from the ground. His head hurt tremendously. He shook the cobwebs out as best he could and stood. Nadai was dodging the frog, and she seemed to have its undivided attention. He glanced at the turtle's thick shell, and the poisonous frog that was upon it. How could they possibly hurt that thing through its defenses?

Tatl flew over to him. "Are you alright!?" She shouted.

"Fine, fine." Link waved his hand. "What can you tell me about that turtle and the frog?"

"Uh, they're natives to the swamp. I've never seen either of them to be this big though."

"What about weaknesses, what can I do that will hurt them?"

"The frog can be hit from afar, I think. The bow will be a good idea against it. As for the turtle, the only way to hurt it is to get at it from its belly. Though I have no idea how you could possibly flip it or anything like that."

Link spotted the flowers on the ground. "Oh, believe me, I have a plan."

He ran to the closest flower and stood by it. He waved his hands to get Nadai's attention, but she couldn't see him due to the turtle. He groaned in frustration.

"Get her to bring the turtle to me." He ordered, before slipping into the flower.

Inside the flower, he collected the pollen. He glanced up, and could see the small opening where light came in. He readied his legs. As soon as the light was blocked by the turtle, he would push up and hit it hard.

Meanwhile, Tatl flew over to Nadai, whom was busy dodging the frog. The fairy landed on her shoulder and whispered into her ear.

"You're gonna need to shout out." Nadai said loudly. "Can't hear a word your saying over frog boy."

"Draw the turtle over to Link."

"And where the hell is he?"

"In a flower."

"What does…" She trailed off, understanding the plan.

She dodged the turtle as it came at her again. She looked about, but each flower looked to be the same as the one next to it. She groaned inwardly, but set to work. She would have to just go flower by flower until they found one that worked.

She tried the ones on the opposite side of the room first. If Link was nowhere near her beforehand, how could he be in the ones closest to her? Her intuition payed off as Link popped up at the second flower. The turtle flipped over, and the frog leapt off. It went to the turtle's shell, trying to push on it to push it upright once more.

However, there were other plans for them than that.

Nadai shot with accuracy that came from years of practice. She pinned one of the frog's hands to the shell. After that, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. Link on the other hand turned back into his true form. Taking out his sword, he stabbed the turtle's soft underbelly. Once it was in, he dragged his sword back and forth and gouged a long, thick wound on it.

Within moments they had beaten the overly-large animals.

"Just who are you guys?"

"Professionals." Said Link, distractedly.

Off to the side another chest was materializing. Only, this one was far more ornate than the one before. They went to it and opened it, revealing an ornate key.

"This has got to be the boss key."

"We just need to find the boss room then."

"Maybe off the main room?" Nadai suggested. "We could also light up that torch that was on that platform."

Link nodded. "Sounds fine to me." He looked about. "Is it me, or is this particular temple a tad too easy?"

"Maybe." Nadai shrugged. "It's not like we have done like a dozen or so of these dungeons already."

"True." Link stretched out, working the kinks out in his back. While being a scrub had helped with landing against the wall due to its hard wooden body, now that he was Hylian again the pain had manifested in a tightness that wouldn't quite go away.

They left the room. The landing was connected to the others on this level. They went right, and returned to the main room. On this level, several torches were placed strategically around. Only one was lit. To their right, and directly opposite of the entrance into the temple, was a locked door.

"We gotta open that door." Nadai said.

Link looked at the torches. "We need to light these torches up."

Nadai frowned. "You know, if we could use magic, this would be so much easier."

"Din's Fire would be nice right now." Link agreed. "If only Hylian Magic would work in Termina or vice versa."

Nadai nodded. "Well, we do have the bow."

"But what does that have to do with anything?" Tatl cried out in frustration.

"Watch and learn."

Nadai went to the lit torch. She frowned. From that angle, she could only reach the torch in the middle of the floating platform below her. Unless the boomerang or something of the like was in the temple too. Besides, she could always jump onto the platform below and shoot the torches from there. And if that didn't work, they could always look about for the boomerang or something like that.

She took aim, and fired. The arrow went through the torch, lighting afire, and hit the other torch. The torch below them lit. Just as Nadai was about to jump down, the platform began to rise. It came up to their level, unfolding itself until it looked like a wooden flower. Then it began to spin.

"Have fun!" Link called.

Nadai glanced his way. "Just stay out of the way."

She jumped onto the platform. As soon as she landed the platform sped up. She planted her feet, forcing herself to stay low to keep her balance. When the platform didn't show any signs of slowing down, she slowly righted herself. The world was spinning too fast for her to fully process what she was seeing. Blurs upon blurs upon blurs clouded her vision. She focused on the red streak that was the lit torch on the second floor, and on the torch that was in front of her. She raised her arm, closed her eyes, and notched an arrow.

She fired. She notched another arrow, and fired again. The arrows were the right height for the torches, however they weren't anywhere close to their mark. The fiery arrows clanged off walls, or chipped off the pillars. Safely behind a pillar, Link could only wait until all the torches were lit, Nadai fell off, or she had run out arrows.

Then the first torch was lit. Then the second. By alternating the rate that she fired, she managed to hit the torches. Then all the torches were lit and the platform stopped spinning. Then she flew off the platform to the water below.

In the instant the arrows were no longer hitting the walls, Link peered his head around the pillar. He saw Nadai fall in, and he ran to the edge. Tatl, who had stayed by the pillar, couldn't understand why he was laughing so hard.

"Throw me a rope!" Nadai called out. "Don't leave me stranded down here!"

Link took a rope out of his pack, and threw one end over the edge. Below in the water floated Nadai. While the water was no longer purple, it was cold and still smelled as though something had died in it. She took hold of the rope. Together, with Link pulling and Nadai climbing, she got up soon enough. She wiped the water from her as best she could, and squeezed it out from her hair and clothes. Link recoiled the rope and waited for her by the door that they had chosen.

He tried not to watch. As fun as it was to see her in wet clothes, they did have a job to do. If he could focus on their task for long enough and hard enough, then they could finish saving the world for the second time. Then they could talk.

She came over a moment later, still wet but not as soaked as before. They pushed open the door. It was a small room, with table on either side. They glanced about. No one was there.

"This must be the Advent Room."

"Advent Room?"

"It's the room before the Inner Sanctum." Tatl explained. "The Dekus would prepare themselves here with holy oils before entering the Inner Sanctum."

Link held up the key. "Then I guess the monster is in there."

They strode across the room, and they stuck the key in the hole. It opened silently. Inside was all dark. Link drew his sword and shield, and Nadai fingered the bow. They stepped inside.

When all three of them were inside the room, the door closed behind them. The torches around the room lit up. From the ceiling came light, reflecting off a complicated array of mirrors to illuminate the room fully. Around the sides of the room were bomb flowers, though they looked withered and malnourished.

In the dead center of the circular room stood the monster. Vaguely humanoid in nature, it wore a fierce looking mask with yellow eyes. It stood as tall as Gannon, but was very much skinnier. It bore a diamond shield and a long, curved sword.

"That's the monster alright." Link said.

"What the hell is that thing!" Tatl flew backwards, and ran into the door.

"I dunno." Nadai notched an arrow. "You think that we could hit thing with the bow?"

"Knowing the trends of the temples, probably." Link commented. He stepped forward and brought up his shield. "I'll distract."

"Sounds like fun."

The monster reached out with its sword, and hit Link harder than anything else they had faced yet in Termina. He grit his teeth and stood his ground. While this guy was strong, he wasn't as strong as Gannondorf. And while Link wasn't nowhere as strong as an adult, he wasn't a pushover.

The monster cocked its head to the side, as if confused that a little boy had stood his ground against his attack. Just then Nadai's arrow hit it in the chest, and the monster reared backward. As it tried to identify the shooter, Link had darted in and struck a blow against its legs.

Link darted backwards, and readied his shield. When the monster stood back upright, he could tell it was angry. Nadai fired another arrow at it, but it was deflected against the shield. The monster roared out a challenge, the sound alien to their ears. It attacked, swinging its sword faster than Link could defend.

Link jumped backwards, avoiding an overhand chop. He stabbed, but his sword wasn't long enough to hit. He cursed under his breath, he really did need a proper weapon for his age. The monster thrusted and Link deflected it off the Hylian Shield. This time, unlike before, his whole arm rang with the reverberations of the attack. He stepped sideways, forcing the monster to overextend itself.

While it was overextended, Nadai fired her bow again. It snuck past its defenses and hit the monster in the neck. The monster roared out in anger, as Link ran forward to capitalize on the opportunity. But as it swung about to right itself, the Heroes of Time were back at it again. Both Link and Nadai were smiling grim smiles.

Tatl shivered. Whoever these kids were, they worked in perfect unison. They had found a weakness in the monster and had exploited it. She watched in horrid fascination as another round passed. This time, the monster was knocked off balance from Link's attack against its shield. The arrow sped in, and the monster roared again in pain. Then Link was back in, striking and drawing thick red blood from its veins.

The monster shouted out in anger, and stomped its foot. Nadai glanced up. She darted backwards as a small rock crashed to the ground where she had been only seconds before.

"Watch out! He's trying to bring the temple in on us!"

Link didn't answer, but rolled under the monster's attack. Nadai dodged again, and fired an arrow at it. It missed, but the monster's attention was diverted to her. A piece of the ceiling caved in, dropping a suitably large chunk onto its head. The mask cracked, and the monster swooned.

She shot her arrows at it. Link ran in and his sword whirled about. The monster stopped roaring in pain. It fell backwards, landing in a large thud. The room shuddered and rocked. Bits of the ceiling fell around them. Then all was still. All was silent.

Tatl flew forward, hovering behind Nadai.

"Well, that was easy." Nadai said.

"Thing was strong though." Link wiped his blade off from the blood and sheathed it.

"Strong as it was, we could beat it far easier than anything in Hyrule."

He shrugged. "I don't know about far easier. The thing was about as hard as Gohma."

"Minus the broken leg and twisted ankle for you and almost dying from poison for myself."

He smiled sheepishly. "Well, this time, I hurt my feet and you got wet."

"I also might have thrown up a little when I landed in the water." She admitted. "But think 'bout it. We're far stronger than we were before we started. If that's all that that monster had for us, then we might be too strong for this place."

"I don't think of it as too strong. I think of it as we are experienced heroes."

"Is that what we are now?"

"We've always been heroes."

"I meant as a professional job." Nadai corrected herself. "Saving the world and beating terrifying monsters is fun and all, but I'm thinking of retirement."

"Retirement? We're only ten."

"Doesn't feel like it to me."

"JUST WHO ARE YOU GUYS!" Tatl finally shouted. "JUST HOW DID YOU DO THAT? JUST WHO ARE YOU?" The fairy panted for breath. "Just exactly who are you guys?" She repeated, softer.

Link shrugged. "What's there to tell? We're just two kids out to save the world."

"But why you two?" She asked.

Nadai shrugged. "Destiny?" She suggested. "It really hasn't been clear why we are doing what we do."

Malon came to Link's mind, followed by a dark tower filled with the dead. "And if we don't do it," Link added softly. "Who will?"

All three of them fell to the ground, knowing nothing more.

Shadow: I know we deviated from the game, but to be fair we've done that before...

Time Stop: Please Review!


	10. Chapter 10

Wang: Double digits! Yahoo!

Static: As usual, we don't own Legend of Zelda.

Chapter 10: A Not So Happy Ending

They found themselves on a foggy plain. All was silent, all was still. Then, over the horizon to the south something tall and monstrous came close. It was disfigured, with long loping arms and legs. The hands and feet seemed three sizes too large. The head was the body, with the limbs connected to it. Red skin stretched tightly in some places, but sagged heavily around the black beady eyes. Green hair the color of old tree leaves hung in limp strands.

"And what is that?" Nadai looked up and up.

The thing had to be taller than Death Mountain, but only as wide as a Clock Town block.

It opened its mouth and spoke in a strange language to them. They covered their ears, wincing at the sound.

Link uncovered his ears. "So, just what is that thing?"

"It's speaking a long forgotten language." Tatl whispered. "The Great Fairy told us that the giants and the moon talked to each other a long time ago using this language."

"So that's one of the giants?"

"I think so."

The giant spoke again, and the kids covered their ears.

"It says… thank you?" Tatl said softly. She flew a little closer, but still within arm's reach of Nadai.

"You can understand it?" Nadai asked.

"Kinda sorta."

The giant spoke again and they covered their ears.

"He says thank you." Tatl said more convicted. "He says thank you for beating Odolwa."

"Was that the monster we beat in the temple?" Link asked.

The giant spoke again, and spoke for a very long time. The kids waited with hands on ears. As the giant spoke longer and longer, the pain became slowly more and more unbearable. Just as they thought that they couldn't stand it any longer the giant finished speaking. The fairy hung in the air, unmoving. When she did speak, she spoke slowly and uncertainly.

"Odolwa was one of Majora's…generals? I guess you could call him that. He was one of four men that swore allegiance to Majora before he was a mask. When Majora was turned into a mask his generals took it and ran away, protecting him as long as possible. That's how Majora's Mask still exists to this day and wasn't destroyed then. I think." The fairy added. "Majora turned his four closest followers into masks, ones that only he could summon and use. Skull Kid went to each of the four temples and placed the mask inside to subjugate the giants."

"That mask is that powerful?" Link asked.

"Very." Tatl nodded. "When the giants aren't called, they are here, in this plain of…spirits? I think that's the right word, or at least the word that closely translatable to it. While here, they aren't on our plain of existence, and therefor weaker."

"So while the mask persists, at these temples, the giants are powerless to help." Nadai summarized. "And if we go to each temple, and fight off whatever Majora had sent at the giants, they can be roused?

"Wait, so Skull Kid went to each temple, and you were there?" Nadai pieced two and two together. "Not unless he can teleport he couldn't have traveled that fast. He had to do it before hand."

Tatl frowned. "He did visit the temples within the past few weeks. But he didn't do anything that I saw when it came to summoning masks."

"It might have been invisible to you." Nadai reasoned. "Unless he did it when both you and Tael were sleeping."

"Possible…"

"But how can they help if they are here on this plain?" Link asked.

The giant spoke again, and they covered their ears. Then it began to hum, intoning different notes. It repeated the pattern a few times.

When it was done vocalizing, Tatl spoke again. "It says to play this song, it was used a long time ago in celebration of the giants. With all four of them there, they can hold up the moon from falling onto us."

Link and Nadai listened through their ears as the giant hummed at them again.

Link nodded. "I got it."

"Me too."

Then they were gone.

They opened their eyes back in the Inner Sanctum. They were on the ground, on their backs. They slowly got up, their bodies sore.

"That was interesting." Link muttered. He brushed some dust off his tunic.

"But we know what we have to do now." Nadai said. "Four temples, four giants to save. Then we can go after Majora."

"Hey."

Link closed his eyes and opened them again. He turned to Tatl. "Yeah?"

"Uh, thank you."

"For?"

"For taking me." She said. "For letting me help you guys."

"Uh, you're welcome."

"And I promise to help you guys, like, really help you guys out in the future."

"That'll be nice." Nadai said. "Like, you know we are strong and all, but any and all help is good."

Tatl nodded. "Of course." She flitted about, head cocked to the side. "You hear that?"

They listened. "I don't hear a thing."

"Link, turn into a Deku, they have slightly better hearing."

Link sighed, but complied. After his body changed he could feel it. There was a steady knocking that reverberated up through his feet. He stepped further away from it, then closer to it. "It's coming from behind that door."

Nadai went to it first. "It must be the princess." She opened the door up.

Inside the small closet, tied up and gagged, was the princess. She was hitting the ground with her feet, which was muffled in the tiny room. She squealed twice; once for Nadai as she looked down at her, then another time at Link as he peered around Nadai.

The former Gerudo cut the bonds on the princess, and undid the gag.

"You're alive!" The princess ran into Link's arms, who fell over unprepared for a full body tackle-hug. "I can't believe you survived!"

"Uh, you got me confused with someone else." Link muttered. "I'm not whoever you think I am."

The princess looked up from his chest, suddenly very still and eyes wide. "Love?" She said softly. "Aren't you my love?"

Link shook his head as well as he could. "Sorry, not him."

The princess got up instantly, brushing off the grass dress she wore. Link got his feet.

"The name's Link." He said. He gestured to Nadai. "And that's Nadai. We came here to rescue you."

"A Terminian and a Deku working together for me?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that." Nadai said. "But something like that."

The princess looked between the two of them again. "That's very…odd."

"Not even the half of it." Link said. "Listen, your dad thinks that the monkeys are responsible for your disappearance. If we don't get you back to your dad soon, he'll start a war with them."

The princess looked up at the holes made from Odolwa. "What day is it? What time is it?"

Tatl flew up high and through one of the larger holes. She came back down a second later. "It's definitely predawn of the last day." She told them.

"Last day?"

Nadai sighed. "'Nother long story." She said. "We'll get you back to your father before dawn."

They ran out, leaving the princess to follow them. "But how? It's a day's march through the swamp to get to the palace!"

Link smiled. "We've got a way."

They stopped at the entrance. Already the sun was trying to crest over the horizon. However, it hadn't yet shown itself. The two heroes took out their instruments.

"We've got a few minutes to do this in." Nadai said hurriedly. "Link, carry her?"

He nodded. They played the song, and large wings sprouted out from their backs. The princess reeled back in shock, but didn't faint. Without preamble, Link grabbed hold of the princess's arms and flew up.

She screamed, but Link ignored it. If they were to save that monkey's life, they had to hurry. In the distance they could see a patch of the swamp that was clear of trees. That had to be the palace. And they flew as quickly as they could.

The cold air stung their faces, and Nadai's eyes were watering from the speed. If Link was a Hylian, his arms would have been pulled from his sockets. However, Deku Scrubs didn't have sockets. But his arms still felt as if they were on fire from the exertion.

The palace came closer and closer. Below them the river that lazily wound its way through the trees below passed. As they neared, they saw the dekus scurrying about like ants. Someone had started a large fire. They began their descent, racing faster and faster towards the ground. Someone saw them, and they began to shout in terror. They readied weapons, half raised in confusion. The Big-Boss stared up at them defiantly.

Link pulled up, his arms straining with the princess's momentum tearing on his arms. He succeeded in letting her down rather gently, though he tumbled to the ground after her as the wings disappeared. Nadai pulled up gracefully in comparison, and landed on her feet. Instantly she was surrounded by guards. Link was warily circled by several other dekus. The princess was immediately swept up by her father.

"Lower your weapons!" Their chief ordered. "Lower your weapons!"

The guards complied slowly, looking at each other and their chief.

"But Big-Boss," one of the dekus pushed through the crowd to him. "She is an outsider."

"He brought back my daughter!" The Big-Boss roared at him. "And she is with him! Outsider or not, she saved my daughter from those evil monkeys and brought her home."

"But the laws –"

"I am Big-Boss!" The deku chief said. "Do you honestly think the laws apply to me? She is good! So is the scrub beside her."

"Actually." Nadai took the moment to walk closer, holding up her hand. "It wasn't the monkeys that had your daughter captive."

The dekus all looked at her as if she was mad. "Not the monkeys?" The Big-Boss repeated. "I find that hard to believe."

"It's true." Nadai stepped closer. "The monkeys had nothing to do with your daughter's captivity. You can call off that war of yours."

The Big-Boss narrowed his eyes, and let go of his daughter's hand. He stepped forward, until he and Nadai were close enough to touch. "You want me to believe you?"

"Yes."

The Big-Boss let out a wide grin. "War wasn't looking that good anyway." He stepped back and turned to the dekus around him. "We march to Clock Town tonight! But first, a feast to celebrate the return of my daughter!"

One of the attendants surrounding the king laughed. "Bring out the monkey!"

From around the corner, to the east, came the rising light. But as the dekus surged that way Link and Nadai could tell that it no longer came from the sun, but from the large fire. The dekus circled up around the fire, all of them slowly circling and chanting. Bit by bit they got louder, leaving the princess, Big-Boss, and the heroes standing by the fire.

A pair of dekus came through the crowd. The bore between them the monkey stuck through the middle with a spit. It ran through his mouth and out his rear. Blood oozed out of his wounds, matting the white fur. He still moved slowly, but was helpless to act.

Link, Nadai, and Tatl watched horrified as the spit was hung above the fire, and the screaming began.

Nadai gripped her weapons. "Monsters." She spit on the ground.

Link nodded. "We may still have time, but I'd rather go back and move on."

Tatl woozily sat down on Nadai's shoulder. "Me too."

Link brought out his saxophone. "Some endings just aren't meant to be happy."

Nadai stared at the burning monkey, and the screams and the smell of charred flesh. "We're not able to save him then." She said softly. "Even if we do everything again faster, he would still die."

"Why do things gotta turn out like that?" Tatl whispered.

"Not all endings are happy." Link repeated himself. "Let's go back."

The two children played softly amid the ruckus. The three of them disappeared into the past. No one noticed their disappearance until much later, and no one cared that much. Their princess had returned and they were feasting and they would attend the festival they had longed to attend for years.

Shadow: We all know Deku Scrubs were nasty little blighters in Hyrule. I guess we made them slightly less evil here?

Time Stop: _nods_ Yes we did.

Shadow: But why did we have them eat a monkey?

Time Stop: Your idea.

Shadow: ...

Time Stop: Don't forget to review!


	11. Chapter 11

Shadow: Here's another update.

Static: We don't own a thing.

Chapter 11: Goron it up

Dawn of the First Day.

Reappearing in the basement, Link took off the Deku Mask and placed it in his bag. Taller and stronger in his Hylian body, he rolled his shoulders. Nadai stretched, reaching down to touch her toes before standing on her hands. After a second she came back to stand on her feet.

"Where to go next?" Link asked.

Tatl shrugged. "There's a temple in each of the four cardinal directions from Clocktown. The one to the south was held by the Dekus. The northern temple was for the Gorons. The one in the sea to the west was the Zoros. The east is now abandoned."

"If magic isn't the same in Termina as it is in Hyrule, who says our scales will help us in the ocean?" Nadai touched the glittering scale that was embedded into her neck.

"Good point. But I think we should go north." Link started out the door, climbing the stairs.

"To the Gorons?" Nadai followed right behind him.

"If the swamp represented the forest in Hyrule, then wouldn't the mountain here represented Death Mountain?"

"I'm not following." Tatl settled herself on Nadai's shoulder.

"In Hyrule, we went from the forest to the mountain to the river. I think we should follow the same pattern here." Link turned and opened the door to go outside. "Besides, there's some strange storm clouds to the north, right?"

Tatl nodded. "Now that you mention it," she muttered. "You think Majora has his hands in it?"

"Maybe." Nadai nodded her head and closed the door behind her. "The Gorons also didn't attend the festival. Maybe the storm is more than a storm."

Link took out his Ocarina. "Knowing Majora, it's far more than a normal storm."

He played the tune, and large wings sprouted out of his back. He pushed off the ground and launched into the air. Nadai followed suit after a second. Ignoring the sudden gasps and shouts from the people below, they flew up high and to the north. It was so much easier to fly up and over the wall than deal with the guards. To the north, the storm clouds they had seen days before were already large and dark. Nadai shuddered as they came closer to it. These must have been there for days already.

Then the winds blew hard against them. Link fluttered against the hard winds, struggling to keep altitude. Nadai tucked in her wings and fell, coming up close to the ground. She waved her hands, and got his attention. He came down and landed on the ground by her. She landed a moment later. Their wings went away.

"This wind isn't natural!" Nadai shouted to be heard over the rushing winds. "It was on a normal path a moment ago, but now it's pushing us away!"

"Then we climb up the mountain!" Link shouted back.

"You two are going to climb up a snowy mountain in the middle of the storm, just wearing that?" Tatl shouted at them.

They looked at her then down at themselves. They shrugged. Tatl sighed, and sat back down on Nadai's shoulder. Link went first, being only slightly taller and broader than Nadai. She went close behind him. But despite their careful planning, the wind and the cold were devastating to them.

Their tenacity was something much stronger, however, as they pressed on up the mountain. Death Mountain took them several hours, about half a day really, to get to the halfway point where the Goron City entrance was. This particular mountain they were climbing was one of many, and all of them were very, very tall.

Luckily, while there was snow it wasn't as deep as they thought it would have been. The path hewn into the mountainside was clear. The snow instantly became thicker and deeper off of the path. The Gorons, or someone else, must have cleared the path recently enough for the path to be this clear of snow.

By midafternoon, they stopped for a small break at the fork in the road. One leg of the fork went to the right, headed to what looked like to be another, taller mountain. The other one looked to go further up the mountain.

"Tatl!" Link shouted. "Which way to the Gorons?"

The fairy peered out from behind her hands. She looked up the left path and the right path. She shivered; the protective bubble of light that all fairies had could only do so much to keep her warm and dry.

"The temple is to the right, we have to go to the left!"

Nadai shivered, and leaned into the wind. "The wind is coming from that mountain!"

"Then it's from the temple!" Link shouted back. "Majora definitely has his hand in this!"

Tatl gripped onto Nadai's clothes, as a gust of wind threatened to blow her away. "That's the tallest peak in the mountain chain! It's blowing all the western wind from the sea towards us!"

Link shuddered, and repositioned his footing. "We go up the mountain to the Gorons! I think it'll be more complicated than just wind blowing from the sea!"

Nadai nodded. "Well, get a move on! We should hurry before the sun sets!"

Link plodded along once more. As they gradually got higher up on the mountain, the more and more the wind died down. Soon enough it was only snowfall that came down at them. The wind was no more, but it still was bitterly cold. Shivering, the two kids walked side by side. They hurried where they could, but the going was still rough. The snow was piling higher here than at the lower altitudes. It came up to Nadai's waist, and they struggled to plow through the snow.

Just as the sun set, they came upon a crest in the path. Below them was a large flat spot, carved into the mountain side. Large stone huts dotted the clearing. A very large hut dominated the center. There were windows in some of the huts, and the lights were on. The ground here was clear of snow.

"We're here." Tatl said softly. "This is the Goron Village."

Link breathed heavily, his exhales trailing up into the sky. "Where are the other Gorons?"

"This is it." Tatl looked at him. "Are there more in Hyrule?"

"Just a tad more." Nadai answered. "I take it we go to the center hut?"

"That's where the Chief should be." Tatl nodded.

Link started down the path, keeping careful footing as spots were icy. Nadai watched and giggled silently as Link slipped more than once on his way down. She followed suit once Link had made it down the path. She made it down without a hitch.

They walked into the village. No one stirred, no one moved from the huts. They padded across the fresh snow, leaving footprints. They came to stand at the main hut's entrance. The door was closed, and it looked like it opened upwards. Link knocked, and the two of them waited for a minute.

"No one's coming." Nadai shivered. "Try again."

Link shook his head. "I'd rather just open the door."

He bent down and dug his fingers under the door. He lifted. He forced himself to lift the door. But to no avail. The door wouldn't move. Nadai followed suit before Link even had a chance to ask. The door wouldn't budge an inch.

They tried again, and the door opened with a rush. They fell backwards onto their backs. Holding open the door was an old Goron, his arms spindly and thin for a Goron.

"Hrrm, hrrm. Terminians? At this hour?" He said softly. His voice was definitely as low and grumbling as a Goron's, but it was softer and creakier.

"Hylians, actually." Nadai got up. "What happened here?"

The old Goron seemed to sigh, but came more out as a huff of air. "Hrrm, hrrm. We can talk inside, young ones."

He ushered them inside the hut. He let go of the door, and it fell with a loud clang that reverberated throughout the hut. It was far warmer inside, and the two kids could feel their limbs beginning to thaw out.

"By the fire, young ones. Hrrm, hrrm. Now tell me why you have come here at this hour?"

"You guys weren't at the festival. I want to know why." Link asked.

"Oh?"

"What he meant to say was that you aren't yet at the festival." Nadai corrected. "What's going on?"

"I fear it's far more complicated than you would think. Hrrm, hrrm."

"I assume it has to do with the strange weather coming from the temple." Link said. He rubbed his hands together, warming them.

"Hrrm, hrrm. You would be right, young one. This storm started up a few weeks ago. It is most unnatural."

"Snow in summer is unnatural, but not unheard of. What is the real problem?"

"It is an ungodly snow." The old Goron said softly. "Hrrm, hrrm. The snow and wind has prevented us from properly praying at the temple. The amount of cold is because of our hot springs."

"Hot springs?"

"It has been frozen, or blocked. We don't know for certain. Hrrm, hrrm."

"You don't know?"

"The cold has been crippling. Us Gorons are used to the cold, yes. Hrrm, hrrm. But, we can prepare for winter. We aren't prepared for a summer storm of this magnitude."

Nadai cocked her head to the side. "That's not all, isn't it?"

"Hrrm, hrrm. Not at all, young one. My son is missing. We fear him dead."

"Son?"

"The former Chief. Hrrm, hrrm." The old Goron stared into the fire. "He left a week ago to pray at the temple, and to solve our hot springs problem. He hasn't returned since. Hrrm, hrrm. We fear that he is dead."

"I'm so sorry." Nadai whispered.

"Don't be. Hrrm, hrrm. It isn't the fault of one so young." The Goron turned back to them. "My grandson had been made Chief when his father left. I am the Elder, an adviser only to the Chief."

"So, Elder," Link said. "How can we help?"

"Hrrm, hrrm. How can young ones such as yourself help?"

"We can stop the cold and the snow and the wind." Link said.

"I do not think so." The Elder sighed once more. "My grandson is rooted with fear. He fears the snow will pile too high for us to return if we leave. Hrrm, hrrm. He fears the cold will kill us if we stay. He is scared and without a father. It is a bad time for him to become Chief."

"And if we placate those fears?" Link pressed on. "We can solve these problems."

"Hrrm, hrrm. How can young ones succeed when my son has failed?" The Elder stood up tall. "You couldn't even open the door, how could you stop this unnaturalness."

"By trying until we succeed." Nadai said softly. "What do you have to lose? Trust us."

The Elder frowned. "Trust? Hrrm, hrrm. It is a hard thing to come by from Hylians these days."

Tatl fluttered about. "If I may," she flew in front of the Elder so that he may see her properly. "I would trust them if I were you. I've known them long enough to know that they will keep well on their promises."

The Elder bowed his head. A few long, silent minutes passed. "Hrrm, hrrm. Very well."

"So what do we do first?" Link asked.

"The first thing to do is this blasted cold." The Elder looked up. "Hrrm, hrrm. My grandson has stated that if the cold wasn't here, he would be willing to go to the festival."

"And not the snow?" Link asked.

"The snow should melt, if the warmth returns to our mountain." The Elder said. "Hrrm, hrrm. Go up the mountain. There will be a cave towards the top. There will be a hot spring there. Find a way to unblock it. If you do that, I will convince my grandson it is fine to travel down the mountain and to Clock Town."

"Thank you." Nadai smiled and bowed.

"Hrrm, hrrm. Now, why do Hylians worry about the affairs of Termina?"

Nadai looked up at him. "Why wouldn't we?" She asked. "We're all a part of this world. Why wouldn't we help each other out?"

The Elder smiled. "Such things warms an old soul such as myself." He walked to a chest. "Hrrm, hrrm. If only more of you young ones are like yourself." He brought out two bundles and gave one to each of them. "These are cloaks made from the furs of the mountain goats. Hrrm, hrrm. They will keep you plenty warm in the cold up ahead."

"Thank you." Link donned the cloak. It was the right length for him, surprisingly. It certainly would help with the cold coming up ahead.

"It's only going to get colder. We'd better go." Nadai bowed once more. "Thank you for the cloaks."

"Hrrm, hrrm. No, thank you young ones." The Elder opened the door for them, and they left the hut.

They wrapped their cloaks even tighter around themselves as the cold came back at them. As if it knew they were going to stop it, the cold was even harsher than before. Link looked up the mountainside.

"I think I can see the top from here."

"Almost there." Nadai shivered. "We should be there before midnight if we hurry."

Tatl sighed. "Looks like another restless night."

"We just went back in time and were healed and rejuvenated." Link said. "We'll be fine."

"But-"

"Welcome to saving the world." Link continued, coldly. "Now let's go, the sooner we do this the sooner we can get warmer."

Link hurried ahead, leaving Nadai and Tatl behind. The two exchanged glances before hurrying on. For Nadai, she knew roughly what was going on in Link's mind. For Tatl, she felt only confusion.

There was a reason why Tatl hadn't sat on Link's shoulder. Link and her didn't mesh, they didn't connect. Nadai knew that it was because of Navi, Link's fairy. Nadai however still didn't know the truth. Link had spent far more time with Navi than Nadai could have possibly imagined. And the more time Link spent with Tatl, the more it reminded him of his dearest friend.

And that wasn't what he wanted.

He wanted Navi back. He needed to talk to her about their shared past together. Consequences be damned, it was the end of the world already if they didn't rouse the giants and stopped Majora. Link needed, no, he craved to know the truth. He needed to be set free of the thoughts and agonizing truths that haunted him.

Link had been a monster, and still felt like a monster. His actions had showed it again and again. Only by keeping his attention on the task at hand made it possible for him to ignore the brooding questions in his mind. That made existing bearable.

And then came the obvious relationship question between Link and Nadai.

He swallowed and hurried forward. He loved Nadai. How could he love her though if they were both children? Or were they still even that? More than kids, but less than adults. He was trapped between two different places physically and mentally. And he didn't know how long he could survive without getting it all of his chest.

Because no matter what, he wouldn't become a monster again. He wouldn't lose himself to the rage that had consumed him in his previous life. He wouldn't lose himself to the rage that had almost consumed him if Wanderer hadn't intervened. He would survive this; as a man and not as a monster.

He started to sweat, and not because of the questions and worries that stressed him. It was getting…warmer? He loosened his cloak, and looked about. The snow here was melting, even at so high up. Without even realizing it, he had gone almost to the peak, and saw in the near distance a dark cave.

Nadai came up next to him. "You okay?"

He nodded. "I'll be fine." He whispered.

"You've been silent for hours."

"It isn't time to talk, yet." He said. He pointed to the cave. "We're here."

"I guess this is the hot spring, or at least its source."

Tatl flew up from the side. "Did you notice the riverbed?"

Link glanced to the side to the sunken path in the mountain. "Riverbed?"

"I think the hot springs originates here, but it flows down the mountain." Tatl said. "I think that's how it warms the whole of the mountain."

"Which is why it would cease the young Chief's worries." Nadai said as she pieced two and two together. "We unblock the spring with whatever is stopping it, and we set a flow in motion to warm the entirety of the mountain."

"Let's see this blockage then." Link opened up his cloak fully. He drew his sword. "Careful, we don't know what's ahead."

The dark cloaks fluttered in the slight wind, and the two heroes walked steadily forward. The cave had no icicles hanging from the front of it like they had expected. Instead of snow, hard stone met their feet. A steady pattern of their footsteps echoed back at them as they entered the cave. It was dark inside, and they couldn't see much. Perhaps if it was day, they could have seen further in. But it was close to midnight, and even the moon couldn't shine very well through the clouds that drifted snow down.

Nadai stopped. "We need a torch."

Link nodded, stopping as well. He brought out a few Deku Sticks, which they set alight with their flint and steel. The impromptu torches lit up the immediate area around them. The cave itself wasn't that large. But it was large enough that they couldn't see the center of the room. It ran in a circular pattern, with spots for torches along the outer walls.

Nadai went one way around the room, while Link went the other. The torches were lit within moments. The torches set a low light for them, but it was enough for them to see. In the center of the room lay a Goron on its chest.

"Must be the Chief." Nadai said softly. "Someone killed him."

They went to the body. Two large horns were in the Goron's back.

"Gored to death?" Link asked.

"Looks like it. Though he was stabbed through the front." Nadai crouched. "Help me turn him around."

Together, they rolled the heavy Goron over so they could see his front. As they had suspected, the Goron had been stabbed through the chest in two spots. It certainly was a goring. What was strange was that there was no blood leaking from the body or around it.

"He died somewhere else, and was brought here." Link touched the Goron's face. "He looks like he is in a lot of pain."

Nadai sighed. "If I was here earlier, I could have healed him. Maybe."

"You could heal him?"

"I could try." Nadai answered. "I did pretty well with the monkey."

"That you did, that you did." Link looked at the Goron's face. "Seriously though. He looks like he still is in pain."

"Kinda impossible for that." Nadai stood up. "He's dead. He shouldn't be able to feel anything."

"Then why do I feel like he's crying?" Link stood up as well.

Tatl settled upon Nadai's shoulder. "I think you guys should play that Healing Song again."

"And why should we do that?"

"It eases spirits?" Tatl said. "Nadai, what did you feel when you heard the song being played."

"I felt at ease."

"Exactly! Whatever is happening to the Chief, it certainly isn't normal. I would bet anything that it came from Majora. I think if you played the song, you could give him closure of sorts."

Link could feel the frustration and anger rising in him. He pushed it down before he spoke. "Alright, we'll give it a shot. It won't hurt if we do."

He took out his Ocarina and Nadai took out her Flute. They played the easing song. It took them a few passes until it came out right. Then the song took effect. It was immediate. There was a bright light, and a warm glow. When the light faded, a Goron stood beside them.

"Thank you."

Link's eyes gravitated to the Goron, while Nadai stared unceasingly at the body. Tatl too looked to the Goron, confused. "What?"

"Link who are you talking to?" Nadai asked.

"The girl can't see spirits like yourself, I see."

Tatl's eyes widened. "Spirit?"

"Have the young one open my pack, and take out the lens. She can see and hear me then."

"Hey, Nadai?" Link said softly, keeping his eyes trained on the Goron Spirit. "In his pack is a lens. You'll need it."

Nadai looked in the Goron's pockets. "Impossible," she whispered as she brought out a purple lens. "There's only one of these." She brought it to her eyes, and saw the Goron Spirit. "Ah, you."

The Chief nodded. "Thank you." He said. "For saving my soul."

"Saving?"

"I was captured by this demon." The Goron Spirit explained. "I wanted to protect my village, but a part of me knew that I would die if I were to leave. But a Goron completes his duty. It doesn't matter the cost."

"Why don't you hrrm, hrrm?" Tatl asked.

Link groaned mentally, and even Nadai closed her eyes and shook her head.

"I never have." He answered. "I left the village and headed to Snowhead. But I was blocked by the wind."

"Wind?"

"With the Lens of Truth, I could see that the wind was caused by a giant, spirit Goron. It was blowing wind, pushing the cold wind back to my village. Before I could stop the spirit, I was set upon by a demon."

"If you were solve the hot spring problem, why were you at the temple and subsequently dragged here?" Link asked.

"It is custom for a Goron to pray at the temple before undertaking a dangerous task. And that was what I did. I did not, however, expect to face my doom at the temple entrance."

"So how can we help you?" Nadai asked. "You stayed, but because you were trapped by this demon?"

"It's been calling up all of the spirits of my dead ancestors." The Chief clenched his fists. "Since I died, I was one of those spirits. If you can, help my people!" The chief pointed to the middle of the room. "My resilience has shown me the answer to the problem. Using the lens, you should be able to solve the problem."

"And what about you?" Nadai asked. "You're dead now, what now for you?"

"I pray my father helps my son." The Chief sighed. "I will move on to the afterlife now that you have saved my soul. Take my bag, and my lens. May it prove more useful to you than it did for me."

The spirit disappeared. Link and Nadai looked at each other, while Tatl clutched at her head.

"Why can I see dead people, why can I see dead people, why can I see dead people?" She repeated.

"Well, I can see some spirits, you can see all spirits, and while Nadai has that lens, she can see all spirits too." Link answered. "Now, how do we stop that blockage?"

Nadai ignored the headache from the lens that was slowly growing in her temples. She glanced about with the lens. "There. In the center of the room is an invisible boulder."

Link walked forward until he was stopped. He could feel the boulder, but couldn't see it. "So how do we bust it? I don't have a bomb."

"Or do we?" Nadai pointed to the ground.

Link followed her finger. On the ground where the Goron lay were instead two items. A small bag and a Goron shaped mask.

"A mask?"

Tatl shrugged, but continued to rock gently. "The Song of Healing turned Majora into a mask. Maybe it turns troubled souls into masks too?"

Link shrugged, and picked up the bag. He peered inside. "Yep, bombs alright." He tried to pick up the miniature bombs, but they wouldn't move. "I guess the Goron Bracelet doesn't work here either."

"You'd need a substitute bracelet, or to be a Goron yourself." Nadai smiled. "We do have a mask."

Link picked it up. "I'm done with transformations."

"Well, my turn." Nadai took the mask from him. "It's my turn for some fun." She put on the mask. She waited a moment. "Nothing's happening."

Link nodded, trying to hide his grin. "You look like a girl wearing a Goron mask."

She took it off. "I thought it would work."

"Maybe it's just a mask."

"No, it isn't." She thrust it at Link. "Try it."

"No."

"Try it."

"Nadai…"

"Just do it. For me."

He narrowed his eyes. "Fine." He said after a moment. He put the mask on.

He felt himself grow taller and broader. His skin tightened and turned from skin to callous to rubble to stone. He felt facial hair pop from his chin. His weapons disappeared. His Ocarina on his belt changed shape, becoming a metal drum.

"Woa." His voice came out far deeper than before, even when he was and adult. "So why does it work for me?"

"Maybe because Majora cursed you?." Tatl asked. "Maybe it was an opening for you to use the masks to change yourself."

"I hope not all masks." Link sighed. "Alright, Nadai, where's that boulder? I'll blow it up."

"It's right ahead of you." She said. "You blow it up, I'll try to solve the lens."

"Solve?"

"If it's like the Hylian version, there should be a way to make it glasses. I'll figure it out, you get the boulder blown up."

Link shrugged. "Sounds good."

He reached into the bag and brought out a bomb. The magic on the bag faded from the bomb, and it lit and grew in size. Link held it in his hand. It felt extremely light. He threw it at the boulder, but misjudged the weight of the bomb. It flew from his hand faster than he wanted. It exploded against the far wall, making a small hole.

Nadai looked up from her work. "Careful."

"It's really light." Link grumbled. "I'm not used to this strength."

Nadai nodded absently, and looked back down at her task. Now that she looked closely at the Lens of Truth she could see small, hairline cracks in the handle. She ran her fingers delicately along the handle, looking for a button or a switch or something that she could press. On the third pass she found a minute hole by the connection where the handle met the glass. It would take a needle or something like that in order for it to work. And right now, she was needleless.

A large explosion grabbed her attention. Link had stepped back several paces, and had destroyed the invisible boulder. Now that it had broken apart, she could see the remnants spread about the room. Water bubbled up from the hole that the boulder had covered. Steam rose from the water, and the Lens fogged up almost instantly.

The water rushed around her ankles. It filled up the room, which she could now see had a slight indention into the floor. It had to be no deeper than her ankles. This must be a natural pool. She followed the water as it flowed past two small breaks in the wall. It flowed into small channels by either side of the entrance to the cave.

She walked outside to watch the water. From the light of the torches in the cave, she could see the water rush down the channels to where Tatl had pointed out the riverbed. It was too dark from there to see what was happening, or where the water would go. If what was happening by the channels was any indication of the riverbed, the snow was melting, and the air was warming.

"That was much easier than it looked." Link grumbled next to her. No, he hadn't grumbled that was just his voice as a Goron.

"If that demon hadn't stopped the Chief, I think that he would have been able to solve this problem on his own." Nadai said.

"He shouldn't have gone off to pray at the temple, not with this mysterious storm about." Link said.

"Gorons are arguably the most spiritual of the races in Termina." Tatl explained. "They wouldn't stop tradition just because of a little wind and snow."

"Well, maybe it's time to set aside traditions," Link said. "If we are to make good time to the temple, we'll have to hurry."

"It's past midnight already. We only have two days left," Nadai pointed out. "Most of the time has been traveling."

"Well, we could run down the mountain," Link said. "Run down it and we could be down to that fork by dawn."

Nadai smiled. "I've got it."

"What?"

"You're a Goron right now."

"Yeah, your point is?"

"Roll down the mountain."

Link's face screwed up as he thought about it. "Even if I did, what about you? You won't be able to keep up with me."

"I could try."

"There's no way. Even flying would be too hard with that storm." Link countered. "What would you do, run on my back?"

Nadai shrugged. "Why not? I could move fast enough."

"Maybe as adults, but we're kids right now."

"Speak for yourself." Nadai smirked. "I can do it. Trust me."

Link narrowed his eyes. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't." Nadai smiled. "Promise."

Link was silent for a long moment. "Fine. But I still don't like it."

"I know."

Link grumbled some more quietly as he got to the ground. His hard, rocky back was facing the sky as he curled into a ball. Nadai jumped up, and scrambled onto his back. Link nudged himself forward, and stopped.

"What's the hold up?"

"It's weird. I can…see myself?"

"Uh, what?"

"It's weird. It's like an out of body experience. I can see myself from behind and you're on my back."

Nadai rolled her eyes. "What do you think then? Goron magic like the Deku Spit Bubble?"

"Yes, and don't roll your eyes."

Nadai blushed slightly. "Alright, so you can see yourself go then?"

"As best I can in this darkness."

Nadai jumped off. "Hold a second, lemme get a torch." She came back a moment later with a torch from the cave. "Alright, roll on."

"Don't fall," Link warned.

Before Nadai had a chance to respond Link began rolling forward. Nadai back pedaled, keeping upright on his back. Then Link began to build up speed as he rolled down the mountain. Her legs began to fly out from under her and she had to really concentrate and move in order to stay on top of Link.

Then she began to tire. Link was right, if she was an adult, this wouldn't as much as an issue. But as a kid, she might have taken a bit more than she could chew. She jumped up, and her momentum kept her moving forward. She landed on Link's back, and jumped again. With the extra momentum from Link, and her own impressive jumping strengths, she could clear enough distance to jump from Link to Link.

She smiled; this was a lot more doable. And they descended down the mountain to the Goron Village. Instead of four or so hours of hard climbing, they descended from the summit in just over an hour.

However, their landing was a bit rough. Unable to slow down his momentum, Link crashed into one of the huts, making a large spider web crack into the largest hut. Nadai jumped off of Link, off of a hut, to roll along the roof to fall to the ground to roll again until she stopped next to Link.

Every bone in her body protested her as she got up from the ground. Rolling to a stop was not the most productive method. Link also got up, his eyes slightly unfocused as he tried to make them stop spinning. Both of them regained their balance in a few minutes. However, no one during that time came out to see them. Everyone was quiet and asleep still.

"Good thing Gorons sleep even through earthquakes." Tatl whispered.

"Right." Link grumbled. "Let's talk to the Elder to let him know he's all good to go and head for that Temple."

Nadai nodded. "And this time, you can get the door."

Link smiled, showing rows of large white teeth, "yes I can."

They walked around the hut to the large stone door. Digging his fingers underneath it, Link lifted the door easily. "Being a Goron has it strengths." He said softly.

They entered, and Link let the door drop gently behind him. That's when the heard the music. It was soothing, it was calm; it reminded Nadai vaguely of Zelda's Lullaby. The tune wasn't the same, but it did do the same kind of result.

Following the music, they found the Elder crooning in a doorway. They waited silently, listening to the simple tune until the Elder was done singing. The Elder closed the heavy stone door, and turned to them, stopping in his tracks.

"Hrrm, hrrm. Son, is that you?" The Goron's voice was soft.

Link shook his head. "Sorry, not him."

"You look just like my son." The Elder closed his eyes, as if he was fighting to keep back tears. "Hrrm, hrrm. Sorry. I'm sorry for—"

"Don't be," Link interjected. "Honest mistake."

Nadai stepped forward. "We've cleared the hot springs. The water is on its way down."

The Elder opened his eyes, and they were indeed filled with tears. "You have done what?"

"We did it." Nadai repeated. "We're headed to the temple."

The Elder smiled, and the tears fell down onto his cheeks. "I never thought that you young ones would have been able to do it. Hrrm, hrrm. Thank you so much!"

"No problem."

"Where is the young lad? Where is he?"

"Still on his way down," Link said.

"Of course of course. Hrrm, hrrm." The Elder nodded. "I've just set my grandson to sleep. When he wakes, we shall see if we are ready to go to Clock Town."

"Sounds good." Nadai smiled. "We head to the temple now."

"Hrrm, hrrm. You go to Snowhead? Normally we would pray there before going down the mountain, but—"

"Your son died there." Link said. "He died because of some demon."

The Elder's face went dark. "I see. Considering circumstances, I think we shall not pray at the temple. If my son was killed by a demon, my brothers wouldn't stand a chance. Hrrm, hrrm."

"But we will." Nadai said. "And, if it's any consolation, we think he might have been attacked from behind." She lied.

The Goron looked down at her. "Hrrm, hrrm. After succeeding where my son has failed, I do think that you could. And yes, my dear, it is a consolation." He turned away. "Make sure to kill that demon. Hrrm, hrrm. It doesn't deserve to live after fighting so treacherously."

"Of course." Nadai nodded. "Before we go, do you have a needle I could borrow?"

"A needle? Hrrm, hrrm. Yes, if you go and look in that chest I got those cloaks from, there should be a little sewing kit in there."

"Thank you." Link grumbled. "Safe travels to the south."

"You do not join us, outsider?" The Elder asked softly.

"No, my path is on another road."

"I see. Travel well, brother. Hrrm, hrrm."

"You as well, brother."

Nadai left first, and headed to the chest. She opened it, and dug around for the sewing kit. Taking out a needle, she stuck it in the tiny hole. The Lens of Truth gave way, and unfolded slightly. It took some muscles, since the thing hadn't been moved in a long time, but she managed to unfurl the tool.

The handle split into two, and doubled in length. A thin, white cord stretched between the two ends. The glass split into two, and rotated until it faced the same direction. The end result was a pair of tiny glasses that could hang from her neck when she wasn't using them.

"Well, this certainly disappointing." Nadai muttered.

"They look like a pair of spectacles."

"I think that's what they are." She placed them around her neck, and put them on experimentally. "They are spectacles. They barely even cover half of my vision."

"Half is better than none." Link smiled. "Now, if we hurry, I think we can make it to the temple by dawn."

Nadai raised an eyebrow. "By dawn? You certainly have faith in yourself to go down that fast."

"No, it's that I have another idea for you."

She looked to what Link had in his hand. "That's a sled."

"Yes it is."

"You're going to pull me along with that?"

"That's the general idea."

"Your funeral."

"It's all of our funerals unless we get this done," Link reminded. "I think this will help."

Nadai threw her hands up in the air. "Alright, I give. Let's go."

They went back outside, and to the top of the hill that led down. Link held onto the rope, and Nadai jumped onto the sled. Then Link began to roll down hill, and the two of them were off. Even without the torch light, Link could make out the path they had forged to go up. Snow flew up into the air with their passing, and Nadai could only sit and watch as they passed it all.

As they came up to the fork in the road, Link slowed a little, and angled himself to turn. He managed to turn somewhat successfully, and they went off the path. But with Link's momentum, they went up the path without a hitch. From there, their momentum died bit by bit. Here, the snow was deeper and the cold was still biting at them. However, it was certainly warmer than it had been before.

They stopped when the wind started to hurt. Link wasn't as affected as Nadai, whom had wrapped her cloak around herself as tight as it could go. With his huge Goron body, Link took point and cleared a path. Nadai followed behind him before the swirling winds covered up the path he had just made.

Link was right, they had made good time with the sled. They arrived at the next mountain just as the sun was cresting the horizon. Before them, they could see a large structure built into the mountain.

"I guess that's Snowhead." Link said. His voice was loud enough to carry over the wind without needing to shout.

"That it is!" Shouted Tatl. "But there's something blocking our way up ahead!"

Nadi put on the spectacles and tilted her head back to see properly. "By the Goddesses…"

"What do you see?" Link asked.

"It's a whole bunch of Gorons!" Nadai shouted. "They're literally blowing the air towards us!"

"How the hell do we stop that?" Link asked.

"You're asking me?" Nadai shouted back. "I don't know!"

"Play that lullaby!" Tatl shouted.

"What?"

"Didn't I tell you I would help you guys out as much as I could?" Tatl looked at both of them. "Play the lullaby that the Elder sang! That lullaby might be able to send those spirits to sleep!"

"But that song and not the Song of Healing?"

"The Song of Healing wouldn't work, I think! These spirits are from the dead, and not the living! I hope," she added softly.

Link sighed. "Alright."

"My flute won't be heard over the wind!" Nadai shouted. "Link, what do you got?"

He pulled at the drum on his side. "I got this thing."

He held the metal drum under one arm, and tapped at it with his free hand. It made a sound, and it echoed over the wind. He tapped again, and it made a different pitched sound. He played around, finding the different notes and different spots they came from.

"Alright," he finally said. "You ready for this?"

He played the steel drum, replaying the song that the Elder sang. At first it was clunky, but as the song continued it mellowed out. One by one the Gorons blowing the wind stopped and fell asleep. Before Nadai's eyes the Gorons disappeared. The wind stopped blowing. At the end of the song, it was dreadfully quiet.

"That was very easy." Link said softly when it was done.

"There's still the actual temple to do."

"True." Link yawned. "Catch a nap before we head in?"

Nadai nodded. "That would be nice. Can we afford it?"

Tatl sighed. "You guys do whatever you want. I'll keep guard if you are going to sleep."

Link nodded. "That'll be nice."

And with that the two kids fell asleep in the snow.

Wang: It's so long!

Time Stop: Please Review!


	12. Chapter 12

Wang: Present time! It's a long one!

Shadow: We don't own a thing.

Chapter 12: Goht

When they woke up, the snow had melted and it was mid-morning. The ground below them was slightly wet, but it wasn't enough to create mud. As a Goron, Link awoke rather well rested for sleeping on the damp ground. Nadai woke up colder and irritable in the wake of their sleeping conditions, but put a determined grin on her face. She had faced worse before, and she would face worse again.

"About time you two woke." Tatl hovered above them. "You've been asleep for about four hours."

"That's nothing." Link yawned. "I could do with another four, or more." He stretched his arms and shoulders.

"At least you were nice and comfortable," Nadai muttered.

She did the same, warming up her body. The cloak that she had worn had done wonders, keeping her from freezing during their nap. In fact, it hardly had a stain or anything of the like on it. And as she stretched and warmed her cold and weary bones, she appreciated the garment more and more.

She peered at the mountain ahead of her. "Do you know where the entrance is?" She asked.

Tatl shrugged. "Vaguely. When Skull Kid visited here before, I had seen a Goron towards the middle of the mountain. We could check there."

Nadai nodded, and pointed with her finger to a small glinting that shined at them from the sun. "There's some kind of bridge, or something like that, rising to the middle of the mountain."

Link nodded. "Must be a way to the entrance." He said. "Let's go."

There was still a wind, and it was still cold; though the temperature felt almost warm from their time in the cold and snow. Link led the way, letting the breeze roll off of him. Nadia followed right behind. Her cloak was wide open, and she gripped her twin daggers. If anything would come and get them, it would have happened before then. But one couldn't be too wary.

They reached the ramp to the middle of the mountain. It was made of clear ice, and it rose heavenward in a large, steep spiral. They could see it rise and rise until it evened out and headed toward the entrance of the temple. Nadai took a few steps up the ice bridge, but slid down quickly. She looked at Link, whom in his Goron form was far heavier than her.

"There's no way you're going to make it up there like that." She said.

Link shrugged. "It doesn't look easier for you." He said in the rolling deep sound of the Gorons. "And quite frankly I don't think that in my original body I would make it up there."

Tatl nodded sagely. "Try rolling up there."

"Rolling?" Link asked credulously. "I'll end up breaking the bridge on my way up."

"Listen, if the other Gorons could go up there, you can too. And Nadai could get on up there if she runs on your back."

Nadai shrugged. "She does have a point."

Link sighed. "Alright then, don't slip."

He crouched, and Nadai got onto his back. He began to move forward, and Nadai ran to keep up. Link went up the ramp, before rocketing forward in speed as the ice was so slick. But while the ice gave him a slight boost, Link's body notched into the ice to give him traction. As a result, he could control his speed better than anything else he had done to that point.

They reached the top of the bridge in no time. Nadai glanced up. They weren't as high up as they thought. The mountain towered over them, and below them stood it's base. She glanced at the entrance before them. Her spine tingled, and she gripped her daggers as she ran. There was something in there, and it wasn't pretty.

They broke through the icicles that guarded the entrance. Link's body rolled them down like bowling pins, and they shattered into pieces that rose and fell through the air. He subsequently crashed into the wall, and Nadai jumped into the air. She rolled on the ground, hitting the wall a moment or so after Link. After a moment or two they got up from the ground. Link steadied himself against the wall, but it gave slightly to his touch.

"That's not supposed to happen." He said. He stepped back.

"What is it?" Nadai asked, moving to stand by his side.

"There's a block here, like a stone block the side of a wall."

Nadai peered about. "And there's no other way forward. Someone knows we're onto them."

Link nodded. "Stand back, I'll move it."

He braced himself, and pushed. The block moved forward. While it wasn't obscenely heavy, it was rather large. So bit by bit Link moved the block, until the block fell into a hole. Conventionally, the hole was large enough for the block, and deep enough for them to continue forward. It was as if someone had scooped out a portion of the ground and moved it in their path.

Someone had definitely noticed they were after them. This demon, or whatever it was, wasn't going to go down without a fight.

A chilling howl greeted them as the block fell down. Before them stood a large, terrible looking wolf with white fur. It stood on its hind legs, and bared its long as dagger teeth at them. It was a Wolfos, an Ice Wolfos in particular.

Tatl panicked, rising to the ceiling. Of all things, Wolfos was a natural enemy of the fairies. Yes, while Navi had some bad dealings with them in the past, but it was a monster that all fairies preferred to avoid at all costs. And because of such, Tatl retreated as Link and Nadai attacked.

Link bore no weapons as to speak of, the only items he possessed included the Bomb Bag and the Steel Drum that had once been his Ocarina. But he had his huge fists. He swung, and while they weren't as fast as say, his Hylian body, he could see the Wolfos' hair move as he missed. But as the Wolfos backed off from Link, Nadai darted in from the side and attacked with her daggers.

She stabbed and stabbed, drawing blood in a half-dozen places. She backed off as the Ice Wolfos came at her, only to retreat as Link's presence threatened its existence. When it dodged Link, Nadai came back in to draw more blood.

In less than a minute, the monster was on the ground dead. Amid the icicles, Tatl watched stunned as the monster lay unmoving. Slowly, hesitantly, she flew back down to rest on Nadai's shoulder.

Silent, she watched the two kids examine the room. There were three doors: one covered in ice, one locked, and one unlocked. Link looked at the unlocked door, then at his body.

"I should be able to fit in there," he said.

He opened the door, and ducked. He squeezed his body into the door. He pushed through, and into the next room. Nadai followed, closing the door behind her. Before them was stood a bridge, half gone, over a chasm. Nadai took a peek down below

"Uh, lava?"

"Snowhead Temple is a dormant volcano." Tatl explained. "But the lava shouldn't be this high up."

Link nodded. "Majora's doing?"

Tatl shook her head. "I doubt that. I think it may be geological."

He shrugged. "Perhaps." He looked across the way. "There's a door over there, to the left."

Nadai looked where he pointed. "I don't see it."

"You need to be taller." He said. "Can you jump that gap?"

"Can you?"

Without waiting for a reply, Nadai ran across the bridge and jumped over the gap. She crossed the gap, and landed in a roll, coming up before the edge of the landing. There was a hole in the wall, large enough and close enough for even a Goron to jump across. However, her attention was dominated by the Freezards that grew up out of the ground.

She rolled between them, and cut at them. The ice blew over her, missing her by mere inches. Her daggers did little to damage the monsters. She came up by the door. The Freezards were already moving. Due to how their body is, Freezards can only turn in wide arcs. In order to get at Nadai, they first had to go forward, to where Nadai landed to get enough room for them to turn.

Then Link bowled into them, and the ice monsters shattered. He stopped right before the edge of the landing, his momentum stopped from the monsters. He got up, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs from his head.

"You rolled across?"

"Little else I could do," Link answered in his deep voice. "I couldn't jump in my normal body, and I can't make it across as a Deku without a flower. Rolling across is the only way. So I bunny-hopped over."

"Nice."

Link pointed over her shoulder to the door. "Through the door?"

Tatl nodded. "I think that'll be best. You'll need to see this."

"See what?"

"How big this place is."

Nadai opened the door and Link followed her through. Her eyes went wide with the scope of the temple. It had to be over five stories tall, not including the floors below. This had to be the main room. It was circular, with doors and bridges and broken wooden paths that went from floor to floor to floors between floors.

Compared to the previous temple, this looked far harder. Not even that, but the scope of this place was close to the size of the Water Temple back in Hyrule.

"It's smaller than you'd think." Tatl said in the quiet. "The Great Fairy had schematics for all of the temples. I saw them once years ago. The rooms off to the side aren't that complicated."

"So you say." Link said. He looked at the different doors. He pointed to one to their left. "The ice there, we can melt it with the torches."

"That ice just won't melt with torches." Tatl argued. "Look, the torches are right next to the ice, it would've melted by now."

Nadai shook her head, unslinging her bow. "Or, we could do this."

She got into position. In order to do so, she had to cross a stone bridge to a center island, and back across another stone bridge. That stone bridge went to a different landing that stuck to the wall and led to three doors. She took aim. She fired her arrow through the flame to the ice.

Instantly the ice melted.

"How? That's not possible!"

Link shrugged, opening the door. "No idea how, it just does." He stuck his head inside. He brought it back a moment later. "That's the first room."

"Figures." Nadai pointed to the next door on the left. "Wanna try that one?"

Tatl hovered by it. "And not this one?" The last door on this landing was also covered in ice.

"Unless I could bend the arrow, I can't." Nadai holstered her bow and followed Link to the next room.

Inside was a cul-de-sac, with no way out. However, the ground was covered in ice and there was two large blocks stacked on top of each other.

"We can turn back." Tatl made to turn back, while Link shook his head.

"There's a lot you still have to learn, Tatl." He said. He pushed on the blocks, and they moved to the edge of the room. "There's something we need in this room."

Nadai put the spectacles onto her nose. "I don't see any invisible chests." She said.

"What about switches?" Link asked.

"Hold a second." Nadai jumped up and caught hold of the top block. She scrambled upon it, and used her spectacles. "There's a switch in the middle of the room."

"That's it?" Link looked about. "Do you see a path?"

"Yea, push to the north."

Together, they pushed the blocks and solved the puzzle within a few short minutes. When the block fell onto the switch, it dropped slightly, embedding itself into the ground. At the far end of the room a chest appeared.

Nadai jumped down from the bock, skid across the ice, and opened the chest. She brought out a key. "Got it."

"So we can use it back in the first room." Tatl reasoned.

"Yeah. Dungeons tend to have some backtracking in them." Nadai explained as they returned to the first room. "You just never got to see that as we skipped the majority of the other temple."

She opened the door. Inside was situated much like the other one, with ice all over the floor and no way out. Instead of two blocks, however, there were two Ice Wolfos. Tatl instantly rushed up to the ceiling. Link blocked a swipe with his tough skin, and the claws couldn't penetrate. Nadai jumped back, and used the ice on the floor to get out of the way.

With the ice on the floor, Nadai could escape the swipes from the Wolfos against her with ease. She slid in, dealt a few quick blows, and slid on out before the monster could do much to her. However, the Ice Wolfos could do the same. As a result, the two combatants slid past each other over and over again.

Link had a much harder time. With his slower body, he couldn't move as fast as he was used to. On the plus side, he didn't have to worry much about the Wolfos dealing damage to him. He was nigh invincible. Every time the Wolfos would attack, he would block with his arm, before punching as fast he could. So he couldn't hit it, and it couldn't hurt him. The two stood still, attacking each other and doing nothing at all.

Nadai beat her monster first. It collapsed from its wounds, falling to the ground and being unable to move. She was there in an instant, slitting its throat and ending its misery. The other monster continued to attack Link. Then he got a lucky hit in as he landed a wicked uppercut. It broke the Woflos' guard, and knocked it up into the air. Unable to dodge, Link cocked his fist back and slammed it into the monster's chest.

The Ice Wolfos flew through the air, crashing into the far wall before slumping to the ground. The wall spider webbed, and the cracks formed against the stone. Breathing hard, the two kids slowed down their heart rates and walked to the dead Wolfos against the wall.

"Secret passage?" Tatl asked, as she came down from the ceiling.

"Secret passage." Link answered.

His fist dug into the Bomb Bag at his hip, and brought out a bomb. It grew in his hand and lit on fire. He set it down against the wall and stepped back. A second later, the bomb exploded and the wall crumbled. When the smoke cleared, a path leading up was opened up to them.

They went up the stairs to the next room. A door was there, halfway up the wall. But, there was no way up to it. Nadai scanned the room with her spectacles, but nothing came up. Tatl flew up to the ceiling, staring at the large icicles.

"Hey!" She called to get their attention. "Break the icicles!"

Nadai took out her bow. "To drop a platform?" She asked. From her angle, she couldn't see the ceiling that well.

"Something like that."

Nadai notched an arrow, drew back, and let loose. The arrow flew and hit the large icicle by Tatl. The icicle wavered, but didn't fall. Nadai fired another arrow, hitting again. The icicle wobbled then fell.

It was far larger than what Link had expected. It plummeted and landed in front of them, the point of it digging far into the ground. When it stopped, it stood just high enough for a Goron to step onto. In fact, the icicle's top was flatter than it should have been.

Nadai eyed the next icicle that Tatl was next to. She smiled, and notched another arrow. Within another dozen shots, they had dropped another five icicles. When all the icicles were down, it made a path straight up to the door.

They climbed up and went through the door.

The next room looked rather difficult. There was an indented section in the floor, deep enough with the walls slick enough so that no one could climb up. There was, however, a ramp up on their side of the indent. It was also far enough across that Link wouldn't be able to jump across it, even in his regular Hylian form.

There were two switches in this room. One on other side and on the ground. There were two pillars in this room as well. On was situated in front of the way out, and the other was in the indent just far enough so that Link could jump as a Hylian across. The far pillar was up, and the middle pillar was down.

Link nodded slowly after a bit. "Alright, I got this."

He went down to the lower switch, and stood on it. His heavy Goron body worked, and the switch activated. The pillar in the middle shot up while the pillar on the far end went up halfway. He took off the mask, and jumped across. He stood on the other switch and put the mask back on. The middle pillar went down, and the far pillar went all the way up.

"Okay, maybe I don't got this."

Tatl hovered by the pillar. "This doesn't look that sturdy."

"So what, blow it up?" Nadai asked.

"Maybe. Perhaps Link could just push it out of the way."

"Push it?" Link asked. He eyed the pillar. "Not that easy."

"It is easy, it'll move, I know it."

"No, it won't." Link came over to stare at the fairy. "It won't work that easily."

"Trust me."

"I don't. Want to. Trust you!" Link exploded in anger, his fist flying out at Tatl.

Thankfully, with Link being in the body he was in the punch was rather slow. She dodged out of the way. Off to the side, Nadai's eyes were wide in disbelief. Mostly at Link, but partly because the whole freakin' pillar flew out of the way and crumbled against the far wall.

Nadai's heart broke a little. Attacking the Mask Salesman was one thing, as he wouldn't remember anything since they went back in time. But Tatl would remember, because she was helping them. What was Link thinking? What was going on?

Tatl panted hard, staring at Link. Her eyes were wide as she watched him for any sudden movements. In the short time she had seen him, she knew that he was strong and powerful. However, he was also odd in character. Sometimes he acted like an older, far more tired man. Other times, he acted like this: a rash, angry boy. She just didn't know what to make of him anymore. On the more important note, she wondered why she was being targeted by Link over and over again. Was it because she was the new girl in the group? Or was it something else? Did it have to do with that person they were looking for?

Link was ashamed. He had tried to avoid it for so long, but the past life he lived in was haunting him more and more. That was why he needed to find Navi. Not because he was missed his friend; (because he did, he missed her almost more than anything else in life,) but because Navi knew about his past life. He could differentiate between the life he lived then and the life he lived now. And even being focused on the quest wasn't enough now. The lines were blurring. He couldn't tell between things now. He needed to get it off his chest, but Navi wasn't around.

A small part of him blamed her for it all. A smaller part knew that that was a stupid idea. The biggest part of him knew that he couldn't hold on no matter how hard he tried. He was becoming someone different. Who was he anymore? Was he Link, part of the Heroes of Time? Was he Link, the monsterous human? Was he a mixture of both? Who was he?

No one moved. Link released all of the tension in him at once. His shoulders dropped and his face sunk. Without a word, he went through the door. Tatl and Nadai exchanged glances. Words weren't said. But, the two women knew that something was troubling Link, and that things might be coming to a head. They followed him after a moment.

When they went through the door, they found themselves back in the main room. There was an x-bridge styled path. But the middle was gone, and it was broken away. Link was already across the other side, coming up from his crouched position. He must have rolled and hopped across.

There was a snow bank, caught against the side of the wall, and it banked its way to the landing on the right. The way ahead was blocked with ice. Going right must be the way to go.

"He's all right, right?" Tatl asked softly.

Nadai nodded, unsure herself. "Yeah, he has to be." She replied, more to herself than to Tatl.

Nadai ran and jumped across the gap. She landed and followed Link's rolling body across the bank to the other door. She reached out her hand to touch Link, but she held back. Something told her that right then and there would be a bad time to talk to him. With the time limit that they had, it would be easier to confront him after they reset the clock, instead of lose the valuable time that they had left.

Link opened the door, half lost in his own thoughts. He peered around. A Freezard hadn't seen them yet, as it faced the other direction. There was something scurrying around the ground on the bottom floor. There were two levels to this room. There was the upper level where they were, and a good fifteen twenty foot drop to where the scurrying monster was, hidden in the shadows. An iced over eye was on the wall, in easy sight of everything.

He shook his head. This was the wrong time to be going back down a level. The monster had to be up and up. In order to get there, they had to climb. So, instead of this room, it had to be a different room.

He almost bowled over Nadai by accident as he backed up. He didn't speak as he dropped and rolled across to the next door across the gap. Yes, he was ashamed. But, he also couldn't talk about it now. Maybe once this was all over. Maybe when Navi was back. But now? No, he couldn't.

Nadai and Tatl followed Link into the next room. The door closed behind them. Little platforms dotted the room, one in each corner. Link stepped out warily. A blue light flashed, and it blinded Nadai. When the light cleared and she could see again Link was covered in ice. He was frozen in place.

On one of the platforms an old man stood, holding a staff and wearing blue robes. The crystal on the staff glowed, and shot a blue light at Nadai. She rolled to the side, avoiding the ice. Taking out her bow, she shot the wizard and hit him in the chest.

The wizard roared in pain, and disappeared, being sucked into the platform below his feet. Nadai crouched low, spinning about in place. Tatl hovered above her, rotating as well. Nadai spotted the wizard as he came out of the platform. She fired the arrow at him, scoring another hit.

The wizard retreated. He came up a moment later just to a repeat of what had just happened. Then he came up again and it went through him.

Nadai had enough sense to dodge an ice blast from behind, landing on Link's body when she was done. She brought the spectacles to her nose, and peered through them. She saw through the illusions this time, and found the right wizard as he was preparing his spell. She shot him in the neck.

The wizard went into the platform below him. Nadai waited a moment, keeping all of her sense open. Nothing reappeared. A chest appeared on the side. She got off Link and looked inside. Nothing was there. She frowned, normally something would be there for a little mini boss.

She opened her eyes wide, and her mouth opened a little. Power coursed through her and it sent shivers up and down her spine. She slumped to the ground when it was over.

"You okay?" Tatl asked, her voice breaking the silence in the room.

"Yeah." Nadai got up to her feet and swayed a bit. "I'm fine."

Notching her bow, she took aim and concentrated. The end of the arrow went on fire, and she sent it flying. It hit Link, and the ice around him melted. He fell to his hands and knees in a loud crash.

"That was cold." He panted.

"No duh," Nadai smirked. "I've got fire arrows now."

"Fire arrows?" Link repeated. "I've got an idea or two on where to use those."

Nadai smirk went wider. "So do I."

They returned across the gap, and through the door the Link had looked through earlier. The iced over eye was thawed out and activated when the fire arrow hit it. A rising came up from the floor below, and it was suddenly easier to get from the first floor to the third floor. They went across the snow embankment and used the fire arrow on the other path. It melted to reveal a locked door.

"Backtrack?"

"Backtrack." Nadai agreed.

They went across the embankment and went down using the shortcut to the first level. They came across the scurrying monster, which turned out to be a rat with a bomb tail. It bit Link, before exploding. However, the explosion didn't do anything to him, and he left unscathed.

The two kids looked at each other and shrugged, before heading back down the temple. They stopped back at the first level. They turned to the door that was covered in ice. Using the fire arrows, Nadai melted the ice and they went through the door.

Inside the door the stopped before a chasm. Below them they could see lava, bubbling gently. Here and there were large stone pillars, close enough for a Goron to jump across, but just far enough so that one couldn't walk across. Unlit torches marked a few of the pillars, making even less room on them than what was already there. Two doors stood across the expanse; one of which curved back to the main room, and another leading further away. The door further away was covered in ice.

"I'll go to the further door, meet you there?"

Nadai nodded, notching an arrow into her bow. She took aim and fired. Flame arrows flew through the air, hitting the unlit torches and the ice. As she did so, Link had taken off his mask to become Hylian once more. He jumped across to get to the ice. He opened the door, and looked down. Far below him was lava. It was bubbling steadily. Wherever this path led to, it was inaccessible now.

Nadai joined him just as he closed the door. "Not that way."

"Lava?" She asked.

"Lots of it. There's no going that way."

"So the other door then."

They jumped across to the other door. Link tested it, and it swung open easily. The room on the other side was a cordoned section off of the main room. It was separated by iron bars. The floor had a switch, and nothing else. He walked in and stood on it. The switch gave a little but it didn't activate. Nadai joined him, and the switch dipped lower but nothing happened.

"Try being a Goron, Link." Tatl suggested.

Link nodded. "You might need to back outta the room, Nadai. It's going to be tight if I'm that big."

Indeed the room was quite tiny. Nadai stepped back to the other side of the door. He stood on top of the switch and pressed the mask to his face. Instantly his body grew and stretched out. The switch was pressed flush to the floor. Behind Link, in the main room, the large circular platform in the middle of the room shot up all the way to the top of the temple. At the same time, the ground gave way beneath Link's feet and he fell to the lava below.

"Link!" Nadai rushed to the edge, reaching out to grab his hand. A pang came wrenching from her chest, next to where her heart was.

He didn't even have time to react. His mind was far away, to when he had fallen to the lava the first time. He had been a far more horrible person then. And it was only through the sacrifices of his allies that he survived. He had never hit lava before, not even with the Goron Tunic on. So when he hit the lava flat with his back, he barely registered that he had connected with the molten rock.

He bobbed on the surface, the lava feeling more akin to a hot bath or laying down on warm grass. He looked up. Nadai was reaching still out to him, but shock and awe dominated her face.

"Link, swim for the second room we were at!" Tatl shouted down at him. "The walls there should be rough enough for a Goron to climb out."

Still processing what had happened to him, Link complied. He swam under them and out of sight. Nadai looked up at Tatl. "What? Just how?"

"Gorons are immune to extreme heat and fire." Tatl answered matter-of-factly. "The explosions earlier didn't even affect him, remember?"

Nadai nodded slowly. "True. I hadn't thought about that." She began the trek back through the temple to the second room to meet up with Link. "I thought had lost him," she said quietly. "I thought that he was gone forever."

"Sorry?" Tatl asked, flying closer.

"I had almost lost Link what feels like too many times to count." Nadai opened up, talking quickly and quietly. "I almost lost him to Malon. I almost lost him to his demons. I almost lost him to Gannondorf. Each time it's hard. Each time he has come back stronger and different. Each time he comes back I fall more and more in love with him."

Tatl hesitated before speaking. Malon? Demons? Gannondorf? Of all those, perhaps demons was the closest she had to an actual answer. Whatever these kids had done in their past, it wasn't anywhere close to what normal kids had to deal with. Heroes of Time or not, this was just plain weird.

"Falling in lava won't necessarily change him." She said gently.

"Or is it?" Nadai asked softly. "Link is my other half. I love him. My heart breaks when I just think about it. And something else breaks too. Something more important to us than I think even ourselves." She trailed off. "Sorry, I shouldn't talking about this." She smiled. "We've got a job to do, and we can talk all we want after the fact."

Tatl nodded quickly. "Right. Let's meet up with Link."

They made it to the second room. To the left, below a thin ledge, Link was climbing back up. On that thin ledge was a block of ice, and within that block was a key. Link finished climbing up the wall to Nadai, as she fired an arrow to the ice block and melted it.

"Miss me?"

Nadai smirked. "Maybe." She pointed to the far wall, across the gaped bridge. "There's a way up, want to take it?"

Link nodded. "Fine with me. You'll grab the key?"

"Meet ya over there."

Link rolled, bunny-hopped, and crashed on the other side. He jumped across the gap to the hole in the wall. Meanwhile Nadai jumped from the bridge to the key, scooping it up. She ran along the ledge before jumping to the platform and subsequently the hole in the wall.

Together they climbed up a floor. They came out in the main room, close to the shortcut room to the third floor. Before they went to the shortcut room, they came close to the central pillar.

"Some of this is ice." Tatl hovered close to the pillar's side. "That shouldn't be."

"Ice that was deep in lava?" Link frowned. "That's normally not a good thing."

He leaned against it, and to all of their surprise the pillar shifted. A large chunk of the pillar had moved from where it had been, and all of the pillar on top of it did as well.

"Wasn't me, I swear." Link defended. "I'm not that heavy."

Tatl shook her head. "I think this is meant to be knocked aside." She looked up and down. "Link, could you punch it?"

"Punch it? If I did, I'd just move it more."

"I think it works like the tablecloth trick. Take away this piece, and the whole top bit of it will fall straight back down."

"And if it doesn't?"

Tatl shrugged. "It will, I'm sure of it."

The image of himself hitting the ice block and sending it flying came to mind. He shook his head, and took up a stance. It was true, he did have a powerful punch. Just how strong could it be if he really focused it?

He punched, and a large chunk of ice popped out of the pillar. The rest of the pillar fell straight down, and wobbled slightly before settling.

"Well, that's a thing that just happened." Nadai said. "Go up higher?"

Link shook his head. "One more slab."

With another punch, another slab of ice flew out and the pillar fell and settled itself. With that done, the three of them traveled back to the third floor, and around the snow drift to the locked door. They opened the door and moved on.

They climbed up a level, and came up on the fourth floor. The pillar blocked the way across, but there was a snowy embankment that allowed them to get to the room on the right, with another embankment to lead to the other side.

They made it to the next door and went inside. The door locked behind them. All around the room, small platforms jutted slightly from the floor. Nadai had her bow out instantly, glancing through her spectacles.

"Ice Wizard, he uses illusions." She warned.

"He won't pop up towards me," Link said. "He'll try to appear from afar."

Nadai scrambled on top of Link. "Don't move." She said softly. "I need the height."

The Ice Wizard tried attacking from the side. However, she was far too fast for him. Using the Fire Arrows, the wizard was sent aflame. When he appeared again, the fire was out but his clothes were singed. When he appeared for the third time he looked like he was at Death's Door. He didn't appear for a fourth time.

"That was too easy." Link said.

"That's 'cause he didn't get the drop on us this time." Nadai answered. "I was ready."

A chest appeared to the side. Opening it, Link brought out a large, ornate key. "Boss Key." He said.

Tatl looked over his shoulder to the door. "That thing that gored the Goron, it should be up on the highest level."

"Then we go up." Nadai stated simply.

They left the room and headed to the other, remaining fourth floor door. Inside it was a snowy, winter wonderland, complete with giant, anthropomorphic snow mounds that threw giant ice balls at them. One hit from Link's fist was enough to scatter them. A single Fire Arrow was enough to melt them.

They climbed the stairs and came up against a pair of Lizalfos. Each Lizalfos bore a single sword. However, these Lizalfos could also blow fire at them from their mouths; which they promptly did at Link.

Link ignored the heat, and sent both of them flying in a single punch. He was really starting to get used to this body. When the lizards hit the wall, Nadai was right there with her daggers to finish the job. Within moments they were dead and the kids were moving onto the next room.

They came out, the stalactites almost brushing Link's head. They were at the top level. And the only thing in their path was the damnable pillar. Tatl flew around to the side.

"Hey, there's the boss door!" She called out. "On the other side!"

Link clenched his fists. "Give me a second and I'll move these outta the way."

With a mighty crash, the ice slab in front of him had knocked into the wall. The stalactites above him wobbled, then began to freefall. The pillar was low enough o become an impromptu bridge to the boss room. Running across, Link and Nadai and Tatl avoided the icicles as they fell.

They unlocked the door and entered and slammed it shut behind them. However, the damage was done. Link's ice slab had not only moved the icicles and cause them to fall, but it had also awakened the demon.

It was gigantic, with a bull-like body and three giant horns. It stood over Link as if he was a man and not a Goron. It roared at them, and the mechanical, throaty noise hurt both of their ears.

"How do we beat that?" Nadai shouted.

Link shrugged. "No clue!"

Then the monster began to charge at them. Link dived to the side, and Nadai did the same. The monster bull missed, and it whirled about slowly to get back at them.

"Up there!" Tatl pointed to the mask the bull was wearing. "Get it to its knees and we can attack the mask!"

"How?" Link took a full blow from the monster's shoulder, not being fast enough to dodge out of the way. He flew back and landed on his back. He rolled to his feet, and prepared for another round.

Nadai had her hands full dodging the monster, as it ran after her unceasingly. She held her bow tentatively. How could she take aim at the thing if she couldn't possibly turn to shoot?

Then Link had an idea. He took out a bomb and threw it at the monster. Faster than they thought possible, the bull shot to the side and the bomb exploded harmlessly. Nadai and Link glanced at each other as the bull whirled about again.

"Hit it with bombs?" Nadai asked

"It moves too fast," Link shook his head. "I wouldn't be able to predict that fast, not with my aim."

"Then bring the bomb to it!" Tatl shouted. "Link, you are immune to the bomb's explosion. Why don't you bring the bomb to it?"

"I'm not fast enough!" He shot back.

"Not if you roll!" Tatl smiled as Link looked at her with newfound…respect? "Didn't I tell you I'd help you guys out? Listen to me!"

Link nodded his head, ignoring the images in his mind. Not now, not with one of Majora's Generals right in front of him. He took out a bomb, curled up, and began to roll.

Meanwhile, Nadai was still running away from the bull. If Link was going to bomb the demon, he better do it soon, before she lost her footing. The floor was all icy, and only had a few rough spots for her to regain her footing.

Then Link slammed into the bull. The bomb went off, and the bull fell on its side like a dead weight. Nadai spun on her heels, her daggers flying into her hands. She attacked, scoring hit after hit. Link slowly got his feet. While the bomb did not real damage to him, it did knock him of his senses.

Then the mechanical monster got up, and resumed its rampage. Link and Nadai exchanged smiles. They knew how to beat the monster now. It was only a matter of time before it fell.

Link slammed into the monster once, twice, three more times. Nadai attacked, scoring hit after hit after hit. But the demon was stubborn, it wasn't moving. It didn't give in, even as it bled blood and oil from almost a hundred wounds.

Then the bull succeeded in stabbing Nadai, piercing her shoulder with a horn. She was raised into the air, and flung to the side. Link rolled on top of her, and the bomb he held went off. Tatl watched as the two kids were enveloped in smoke, and could only hear the pain-filled cries of Nadai.

Time Stop: Please Review!

Static: Just an FYI, we will be on hiatus until February or March. We got some stuff to take care of which prevents us from writing for a bit. Sorry guys.


	13. Chapter 13

Shadow: I almost forgot we ended last chapter on a cliff hanger.

Time Stop: We're back!

Shadow: I feel a little bad.

Time Stop: We don't own a thing.

Chapter 13: Goodbye

The smoke cleared. Link was on his hands and knees, holding Nadai as she bled. The explosion was covered mostly by Link's body, but she was still covered in smoke and soot. The horn had pierced her shoulder clean through. Link had crushed her legs due to his heavy body; they weren't piercing the skin, but the bones were certainly broken.

Nadai grimaced in pain, her teeth grinding against each other. "Didn't think the thing would actually hurt me."

Link was silent. This was the worst wound she had received since Gannondorf, and that had been months and months ago. She had to be down-playing the pain. She had to. How else could she be still smiling at him? His chest ached. His heart went out to her, even as a powerful, angry pain next to it almost consumed his thoughts.

He looked up at the bull, as it scratched the ground. It was going to charge once more. And, from the looks of it, the monster would run over Nadai. Link gently set Nadai down. He stood up, and stood protectively over her.

"Link—"

"I'm not going to let her be hurt anymore." Link cut Tatl off. "I almost let her die once before, that's not going to happen again."

The bull charged. Its head was thrown back in a challenging roar before lowering its head. Link answered the challenge right back at it. He let loose all the anger and frustration that he was feeling. He braced his feet. He cocked his arms back to catch the bull.

He caught the bull's horns, and felt his feet begin to slip. He dug in further, and held the bull in its place. With his Goron strength, and his stubborn, headstrong feelings, Link was holding back against the monster that had crippled a giant. The two titanic forces waved back and forth, before they both let go and went back.

The bull roared louder, aiming to gore Link with one final attack. As he let go, he looked below him and behind him. Tatl was hovering next to Nadai. She had her eyes closed, her hands on the former Gerudo.

Link saw red. He turned to the bull. He angled himself at the last moment, ramming his fist right onto the bull's mask. There was a resounding crack, and the mask broke. The bull stopped moving, and slumped to the ground in a crash. At the same time, Link felt the bones in his hand pop, and watched as his fingers failed to respond to his beck and call.

He panted hard, watching as the dust began to settle. Slowly, he reached up with his good hand and pulled off the mask on his face. He could feel the pain then. His legs felt like jelly, and he fell down to his knees. He looked at Nadai, and closed his eyes.

The two of them were on the ground on a foggy plain. Link couldn't feel his legs, and Nadai's were still broken. He crawled to her, ignoring the pain in his broken hand and lay next to her.

"Bout time you beat that thing." She opened her eyes and smirked.

"What, I save the day and all I get from you is sass?"

She smiled, but grimaced in pain. "Wouldn't give sass if you did it sooner."

Link sighed, hiding his smile. "I'm just glad you're—"

An unbearable sound came to them, making their eardrums hurt so bad Link almost forgot about his legs. They clenched their eyes. When the sound was done, they opened them again.

"What's the giant saying now, Tatl?" Asked Nadai quietly.

"The General you guys defeated was named Goht. He thanks you for defeating him."

"That's nice." Link grimaced as the giant began to sing. "Really, the same song again?" He said when it was done.

"He says to play that song to have him help you."

Nadai grimaced again in pain. "Okay, cool. Can we go back now?"

"Seriously," Link said. "We've got to go—"

"— back in time and heal ourselves." He finished saying. They were back in the temple, the dust settling around them still.

"Go back in time?" Tatl asked.

"The last time we did, we were rejuvenated and we healed ourselves." Nadai explained. "Link's betting that by going back in time once more we'll be healed again."

Link took out his ocarina. "I'll play for the two of us, just hold on."

Nadai reached out her hand, and held onto Link's shoulder. "Your hand is broken."

"So?" He shrugged off her concern as he held it gingerly with his broken hand. "It's not like you can play with that injury anyway."

"I'm not that frail!" Nadai sat up a bit to look him in the eyes. "I'm not some damsel in distress for you to take care of!"

"I never said you were. But you're more injured than I am. You would do the same for me."

"So?" She shook her head. "I just want to pull my share."

"You already do." Link said. "Now let me—"

"As much as I hate to interrupt your bickering, children, but what is that?" Tatl pointed to the glowing blue circle sitting a few feet away from them.

"That's…that's not right."

Link nodded slowly. "That's only supposed to take us to the Sacred Realm." He said. "This isn't Hyrule, though."

"Maybe it's – hey!" Nadai shouted out as Link began playing the Song of Time. Her other hand darted out, grabbing Tatl as she neared the blue circle. And with a gentle whoosh from the wind, they disappeared.

They reappeared in the basement. Link's strength had returned, and his hand was working once more. Nadai's shoulder wound was closed, and her clothes patched. Her crushed legs were in working order once more. However, for both of them, there was a dull ache that was deep within their old wounds that throbbed gently. While they were healed, their wounds hadn't fully disappeared like they had expected.

"What was that!" Nadai turned to Link.

"Me playing the song."

"Cut the crap." She walked over to him and got in his face. "You've been acting strangely since the swamp. No, you've been acting strangely since we beat Gannondorf."

"Have not."

"Yes you have. What is it that you can't tell me."

"We don't have time for this."

"We've got nothing but time." She reached into her pack and pulled out the Fairy Flute. "Last I checked, we could play a song and roll back time."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"It does to me."

"Listen…we," he fought for the right words. "The sooner we finish with saving the world, the sooner we can find Navi."

"And what if we can't!" Nadai shouted.

Link's eyes widened, and he took a step back.

"What if she's dead?"

"She can't be." He said softly.

"Fairies die after their Kokiri die." Nadai said softer. "Unless they were a red fairy."

"She's special."

"She's just a fairy."

"She's not just a fairy!" Link roared out.

Nadai was silent. Link breathed hard, his shoulders rising and falling heavily. Tatl switched her gaze between the two.

"You're right, she isn't." Nadai whispered. "She was our friend."

"She's not dead."

"I know we've been looking for her for months now. You love her like no one else I've seen you with. And if there's something that you have to tell her, and only her, then that's fine." She looked up, tears in her eyes. "Link, I don't want to lose you too."

"Nadai…"

"She was my friend too." Nadai continued. "The three of us saved Hyrule together. There's a bond there that can't be broken. Navi was my fairy, as much as she was yours. I don't know exactly what is happening here, and I don't think I will ever fully understand. Please, trust me like you trust her."

"…I can't."

"You can't?"

"I can't." Link repeated. "It's… There are forces more powerful than me keeping me quiet."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then why can't I believe you? I want to, I really do, but I can't."

Link looked down at the ground.

"Please, trust me."

"It's not that simple."

"So what, you can trust me in battle at your side, but not with this?"

"That's different."

"Is it? But you could trust Navi? You can trust Malon?"

Link looked up, hurt in his eyes. "You did not just go there."

"You could trust Malon. You couldn't trust me." Nadai let her tears fall unhindered. "And you won't even have the decency to tell me why."

"Nadai—"

"Goodbye."

She ran past him. He darted his hand out to grab her, but she pulled her arm out of reach. He moved after her, but got tangled up in his own legs and hit the ground. She didn't turn to look back, not until she opened the door. Deep betrayal was splattered all over her face.

Then she was gone.

Above, Tatl hovered as if unsure of what to do. Then slowly, silently, the fairy flew off after Nadai. Link sat up on the ground, and looked around him. And then he began to cry.

Half a day went by before Link stopped moping about. He didn't know where she had gone, didn't know what had happened, really. She had left him. He was still trying to process that information.

Had he taken her for granted? Had he messed up beyond return? Was it time to spill the beans? Were they done?

No.

Link got up, clenching his fists.

They would meet up one more time. They had to figure things out.

He ran out of the Clock Tower, and scanned the square. Up ahead he saw the guards, working away on the platform. However, they were bandaged and moving slowly.

"Nadai," he whispered. He looked up to the sky. "Which way do I go?" He asked aloud. "I know you can hear me, Goddesses. Show me where to go."

Nothing answered him.

Angrily, he took out his flute and played a song. Wings sprouted from his back and he flew up into the air. High in the air, the cold air chilled him. He looked about. From the far west, he saw the water. He stared hard at it, before flying at it.

A few hours later he was getting closer to the water. From this high up, he could see the bay. To the south lay a small inlet, with a river pouring water to it from the swamp. To the north he could see a massive fortress with high walls. He couldn't see who manned them from that far though. Between the two of those landmarks was a small, sandy beach with a small hut.

He flew lower and lower. There was something on the beach by the hut. Seagulls were flying around it. He pulled to land. He landed heavily, rolling to a stop on the sand. He ran forward, waving his hands, calling out.

The seagulls were circling a body.

The seagulls flew off, leaving as Link neared. As the seagulls flew off, he could see who it was. It was a Zora.

"Hey, you alright?" Link skid to a stop by the Zora.

The Zora coughed up blood. "Is this the Afterlife?"

Link shook his head. "No, no. You're still in Termina."

"Good. Good." The man tried to get up but his body failed him and he plummeted back down.

"Easy," Link commanded. He brought out a water skin and gently tipped the Zora's head back. He dribbled in some water, and the Zora drank it greedily.

"Thank you, stranger." The Zora looked up at the sky, with the storm clouds hanging low. "I have one more favor to ask of you."

Link shook his head. "Oh hell no. You're not dying."

"I know when my time is up." The Zora smiled. "Please, I don't have much time yet."

"… Fine."

"My wife laid eggs." The Zora spoke quickly but softly. "But they were taken by the Gerudos. I tried to take them back, but I've failed. They mortally wounded me, and hunted me down like a dog." He coughed. "Please, save my children."

Link stared at the man. "I'll do what I can."

"You're a good man, you're a good man." The Zora coughed loudly. "If I only had more time! If I only had one more chance to save her! Someone save my troubled soul, someone save my trouble heart."

Link was silent. The Zora reached out and gripped Link's hand. "I wish I had loved her more. I wish I had been with her more. I wish I had been a better man." He looked up at Link. "Kid, if you ever get a wife, take my words well."

Link nodded dumbly.

The two were silent, and the Zora looked up at the sky. Over an hour passed and the two stayed there. Then his eyes closed and the Zora took his last breath.

Link let go of the man's hand and stood up. He took out his Ocarina. "Sorry, friend. I'll make sure you're kids are saved."

He played the Song of Healing. The Zora disappeared, and what remained in the sand was a Zora mask. He picked up the mask, and put it on.

His body lengthened, and grew hard and scaly. Fins popped out of his arms. His hair fused together and lengthened. Gills popped out of his neck.

Link looked down. He was wearing the bottom half of his tunic still. That was the first time that he had seen a Zora wearing clothes. In his hand instead of his Ocarina was a fish bone guitar. He strapped it on and behind him so that it wouldn't be in the way.

"Hey!"

Link turned to the side, where three Zoras were running to him.

"Where have you been, Mikau? Lulu has been worried sick!"

"Wait, I'm not—"

The three Zoras picked him up. "We've got to go! Lulu's only getting worse!"

Link protested, trying to move and escape the Zoras. But the three of them held on tight to Link, and they carried him away.

"Hurry, to Zora Hall!"

Static: A short one this time. We're still stretching our hands after some time away.

Wang: Are we?

Static: We are.

Wang: Oh. Please Review!


	14. Chapter 14

Shadow: A late update, but an update nonetheless.

Time Stop: We did say that we would try to stick to the regular schedule, but no promises.

Shadow: We don't own a thing.

Chapter 14: Hello

She exited the tower and into the sunlight. The light dazzled through her tears, blinding her. She glanced about, wiping away at her tears. Something tapped her shoulder, and looked to the side. Tatl was sitting down on it.

"You okay?"

"Of course." Nadai snarked. "It's not often the love of my life ruins and leaves me to die."

Tatl frowned. "Not literally, right?"

"Of course not. It just feels like that." She looked about, focusing on the guards by the exit of Clock Town. "Give me a quick second."

"What?"

"I need to get some steam out."

She rushed the gate, drawing a startled gasp from Tatl as well as from one of the guards. The men moved to intercept her. Nadai drew her twin daggers, a dangerous glint in her eye. She dodged the first attack, her blades flashing out and tapping away and deflecting two more swords as they came at her. A spear rushed in, and she jumped over it to land atop of it. The spear was pinned down, and she used her weight to force the spear holder to let go. As the man let go she darted forward, spinning her daggers this way and that. Two men went down, crying out in shock as their hands were nipped by the blades.

She spun about, kicking out against one man and propelling herself into the air. She flipped, dodging a man's hand as it reached out to grab her. She landed atop the spear, and stepped sideways. The spear rolled across the ground, and the wooden rod tripped another man. Nadai closed her eyes and ducked as a sword missed her.

When she opened her eyes again all the men around her were on the ground, marked with nicks and cuts. They weren't deadly, but they would seriously hurt coupled with the heavy bruises from them falling over and over again. She looked at Tatl.

"I need to swim."

Tatl cocked her head to the side. "Swim?"

"I need to blow off some steam."

"And this wasn't enough."

"…no."

"Then let's go west." Tatl flew over to land on Nadai's shoulder. "The ocean is that way."

"Ocean? Is that like a lake?"

"But much, much larger."

"That sounds, nice."

"Water as far as the sky can see. You can get lost there."

"Lost?" An image of the woman appeared before her mind's eye, but she shook her head to dispel the image. "That sounds nice."

She took out her flute, and played the Song of Soaring. Wings sprouted from her back, and to the astonished men on the ground she flew up and away from Clock Town. She headed west, headed away from the town and Link and all.

Link. That, that moron! That stupid idiot! Why couldn't he just talk about it! Why couldn't he trust her like so many of the other people he had trusted? Why couldn't he love her like she wanted him to love her?

Tears dripped from her cheeks as she flew, and they weren't from the wind scratching at her eyes. Something fierce had taken Link, something fierce had taken him and stolen away his trust and his love. He wasn't the man that she fell in love with.

Well, how could be? They were seven years younger than when she had fallen in love with him. They were children again, they weren't adults. Maybe it was for the best? Maybe Link had fallen out of love with her.

No! That couldn't be it. Link did love her. That much was true. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen her over Malon. But something did take Link away from her, emotionally if not physically. There was something, something had to be done. She had to get him back.

But how? And was she even ready to have him come back? The pain was real, the pain he gave her was real. And while she could somewhat sympathize with Link's struggles, she couldn't forgive him yet. It still hurt.

Below the grassland slowly turned to sand. Up ahead there was a crowd of women by a small hut on the beach. They were yelling, and crowding around something. She touched down closeby and walked to them, hands warily on her daggers.

"Watch out!" Tatl hissed. "These are Gerudo!"

"Gerudo?" Nadai slowed down. "This isn't the dessert."

"No, these are pirates." Tatl slipped to hide in Nadai's hair. "Think of them like a branch of your Gerudos, but far, far more hostile."

"But they're beating someone up." Nadai moved faster. "Gerudo or not, I'm not letting them get away with this!"

"What do you mean, Gerudo or not?"

Nadai ignored the fairy as she came up to the crowd. The six Gerudo women stopped their assault and looked down at her.

"What is a small girl doing here?" One of them spun about her spear, and the bloody point was pointed at her.

"What's going on here?"

"Not an outsider's business." Another said, taking a long curved sword and swiping down once more at the body below them. "Maybe she doesn't understand our customs."

The spear holder attacked. Nadai dodged the blow, instinct kicking in where her own rational thought failed. She stepped in, closing the distance between the two of them. Her daggers flashed out from their sheathes, and the woman dodged the strikes with only a hair's breadth to spare.

"Just who are you?" A third Gerudo asked.

"Nadai." The former Gerudo attacked, but her blows missed.

She cursed under her breath. If she was an adult, with the reach and speed of one, she could easily win. Even after months of being a child she wasn't used to the shorter reach or the lack of strength and speed.

Her legs were swept out from under her, and her back hit the sand hard. Nadai panted hard, staring at the third Gerudo, obviously now to her their leader.

"Who are you?"

"Nadai." Nadai repeated herself.

"Who taught you how to fight like a Gerudo?"

"Nabooru."

The weapons wavered in the air. "Nabooru?"

"Nabooru." Nadai slowed down her breathing. "She's the second—"

"We know whom she is, girl." Their leader looked down at her. "Our sister clan's second in command is well known even as far out as Termina." She brought down a hand. "If you were Gerudo, you should have said."

Nadai didn't take the hand, and got to her feet. "I'm not a—"

"You came to study under us for a bit?" The leader cut her off again. "The old ways haven't been done for a long time."

Nadai looked beyond the women, to the Zora on the ground. "I don't know. What's going on with him?"

The evasion worked, though she could see the woman's eyes stare at her for a brief moment longer than necessary before answering Nadai's question. "That fish caused us some problems."

"Problems?"

The leader put a hand on Nadai's shoulder, gripping just a little too tightly. "Come with me to the fortress, I'll tell you on the way."

"What about the fish?" One of the woman asked.

"He'll die soon anyways." The leader laughed. "Serves him right!"

They began to walk to the north, where Nadai could just make out a large structure over the rocky outcropping that lined the northern beach. The women fell in step around the two of them. The pressure on Nadai's shoulder reminded her that even if she wanted to run or to fight that she would be at a stark disadvantage.

"So what happened to that Zora?"

"Fish." The Gerudo leader corrected. "That damn fish destroyed our ship and made us loose some valuable cargo."

"Cargo?"

"Zoras are lesser than us, they're fish." The woman smiled. "We have buyers across the sea whom use Zoras as slaves. They pay well for Zora eggs."

Nadai gulped. "And what happened to the eggs?"

"Some of them were knocked off, they landed deep into the water. We are going to go after them tomorrow, when our Diving Team returns from their mission. The rest are well safe inside our walls. No fish would dare try to enter and survive."

Up ahead the stronghold got larger and more defined. It was formidable, with a large sea gate and walls that rose out of the water like mountains. Nadai couldn't help but to be impressed. It was a fortress, more heavily defendable than any that the Gerudos in Hyrule had.

"Welcome, to the Gerudo Fortress!" The leader smiled wide. "It's the strongest stronghold this side of the sea."

"I see."

"Tell me, girl, do you know how to swim?"

"Swim?" Nadai's heart jumped a little. "A bit, yeah."

"Show me."

The hand left her shoulder and the pressure abated. She felt the hand on her back, and Nadai was thrust forward off the rocky outcropping and into the water. She recovered quickly, swiveling around under the water to get her bearings.

From the side a monstrous shark appeared, cutting at her through the water. Nadai surfaced, getting in a large breath. The scale on her neck glowed feebily. She touched it, knowing that the magic that let her hold her breath underwater in Hyrule wouldn't work here. If she was to survive, she would have to end this quickly.

Which was easier said than done. The shark's skin was tougher than she had thought. Her daggers hardly pierced the fish's skin, much less cause any considerable damage to it. One of her daggers was taken away from her, stuck in the monster as the other one she clutched in both hands.

The shark turned, attacking again. The teeth missed her by the skin of her teeth as she continued her attack against the monster. Her lungs were starting to burn. She surfaced and breathed in, and the shark cut deep into her legs.

The ache that was deep inside them already hurt, but that was nothing compared to the sharp pain of the teeth digging into her kneecap. She screamed, and brought down her remaining dagger. It plunged deep into the shark's eye, and the shark let her go. But Nadai held on as the monster tried to escape. Taking the other dagger from the shark's body, she stabbed the shark again and again, alternating between strikes.

One eye was gone, and the other was clouded in anger and madness. Nadai cut as fast as she could, doing what she could to cause as much pain to the shark as she could. She held on for dear life, straddling the beast as it carried her around underwater.

She looked up. It was the fortress wall. She drew her daggers from the monster and pushed off. The shark hit the wall, creating a large, spider-webbing crack that encircled the shark's spot. The shark hung limply in the water, unmoving.

Nadai then fully realized the pain in her legs. She swam up, using her arms primarily to avoid hurting her legs any more than they already were. She came up amid bloody water, gasping for breath. Up above her stood the Gerudos, watching her in complete silence.

"You survived."

"Of course I did." She wanted to cry out in pain, but if she did she might have been killed. Gerudos don't show weakness, that was their way.

She clambered out of the water, ignoring the painful way her legs set as she walked up to them. She stood there, dripping wet as they continued to stare at her silence.

"And?"

"You did well to face against the guardian. I wasn't expecting you to kill it, however." The Gerudo leader smiled at her. "You have proven yourself. Come, let us robe you and show you to your new family."

Nadai followed the other Gerudos, no longer being forcibly led. She glanced behind her, to the far off place where the Zora had died. Taking a deep breath, she followed the Gerudo women inside their fortress.

"I'm telling you, I'm not this Mikau dude." Link shook his head and his arms at the Zoras in front of him. "My name is Link."

"Who?"

"Are you sure?" Another asked. "You sure look like a Mikau to me."

"I promise you, I'm not him." Link gulped. "I just probably look like him, that's all."

The three Zoras before him huddled up, talking quickly. They popped up once in a while to look at him before returning to their hurried discussion. Eventually they stopped and looked at him in unison.

"So say that you aren't Mikau, can you still help us?"

"Help? How?"

"You see," one of the Zora's hesitated. "Mikau's wife, Lulu, just lost her voice."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Lulu, Mikau, and us were part of a band. We are supposed to play at the festival in two days, but we can't do much if she can't sing and if Mikau is missing."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Lulu and Mikau had eggs. They were stolen by the pirates up north and Mikau went off to rescue them. That was two days ago, we haven't seen him since. And ever since the pirates took the eggs, Lulu had lost her voice due to grief."

"So what do you want from me."

"Maybe if you show yourself to Lulu, she might be relieved. You know, since you look just like Mikau."

"I'll do you one better." Link looked to the north. "I'll just get the eggs."

"That's impossible! Those pirates are notorious!"

"And I'm a hero. It's what I do." His thoughts turned to the dead Zora. "And if it's so notorious, maybe you three should have gone with Mikau to save the eggs."

"Mikau snuck off in the middle of the night." One of them protested. "We would have gone with if he hadn't just run off!"

"Sure, sure." Link turned around, facing north fully now. "You guys stay here and make sure this Lulu girl is all safe. And…you might need to break it to her if Mikau doesn't make it back."

"How would you know that!"

"If I'm not back in a day or two, and Mikau isn't back by then, it'll be safe to assume that no one survived. Especially if these pirates are as notorious as you say."

Link ran to the shore, ignoring the band members behind him. He dove into the water and began to swim. He hated swimming. When he was younger, much younger, he had an almost terrifying experience with swimming that almost cost him his life. And it had taken him countless practice with Wanderer to get over it.

But swimming as a Zora was almost enjoyable. Nadai would love it in this form.

Nadai.

His mind wandered as he swam. He missed her. He had spent practically every day with her for the past, gosh, forever it felt like. Since the beginning in the Great Deku Tree, he had been with her. Minus a few training sessions with Shiek and with Wanderer. Every day, for everything. He missed her.

You never truly know what you have until it was gone. And the world could burn in hell for all he cared, he needed Nadai back in his life. He needed to tell her the truth, and all of it. And that would solve everything between them, right? Consequences be damned! Together they were the Heroes of Time! They needed all of them together to save the day!

And what was he now? Some B-rated hero? He was nothing without Nadai, he knew that. He had to find her and fast. His gut was telling him that she was somewhere close. Where? No idea. But she was close. After all, the two of them had half the Triforce of Courage each. If what he thought was right, they would end up meeting anyway.

Both of them couldn't just sit around and let the world come to an end because of some madman in a mask. It wasn't their play. That was why they faced off against Gannondorf, because they could do something about it. That was why they would face off against Majora, because they could do something about it.

He passed where Mikau had died, and the words the Zora said echoed in his mind.

 _"I wish I had loved her more. I wish I had been with her more. I wish I had been a better man. Kid, if you ever get a wife, take my words well."_

Link gulped, and breathed in deeply. Another thing he didn't like. He could breathe underwater. While that was cool, it was totally counterintuitive. He shouldn't be able to breathe in water and breathe out bubbles. That was just not natural!

He came upon a strange sight. Amid red water was the carcass of a shark, mutilated by something. It could've been Nadai's daggers, and Link's heart soared. However, it could've been anything else. And besides, it hovered in front of this giant walled fortress. He swam up to look at it clearly above the water. It was a fortress alright, with no way in.

He swam back down, just as the sun's fading light came through a cloud. He breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm his breathing. He had caught a glimpse of some woman whom looked very much like a Gerudo up there on the ramparts. What the hell were Gerudos doing here! He shook his head, trying to clear it. How the hell was he to do this one?

He looked at the spider-webbed crack in the wall. Could he do something with that? Maybe if he swam really fast? He looked at his thin arms. If he was a Goron it would be no problem. Maybe not as a Zora. Though the Zora King was pretty beefy, and Ruto was pretty strong herself. She had fought well back in the day. Maybe he could do the same.

Fighting and rock hitting weren't the same in the slightest, but it could mean something for him. Maybe he could just be durable enough to break through. He swam backwards, and floated a couple of hundred feet from the rocky wall. He floated there for a moment, breathing in and out to calm his nerves.

He started slow, and sped up bit by bit. He went as fast as he could. About fifty feet from the wall he felt something switch in his head. It was as if he was able to tap into something he couldn't do before. But he wasn't expecting to literally rocket through the water at a speed far faster than he had ever swam before!

He hit the wall head first, and the impact made stars shine in his eyes. But the hole was made, and it was large enough to wavily swim into the opening. He shook his head and rose out of the water. He needed fresh air, he needed to breathe in air to calm the beating in his head.

He realized that when he surfaced that he was a Zora, and that he had gills. That he meant that he could breathe underwater. He also realized that once he popped his head out of the water that he would be seen by those inside. Lights flickered on him and he was seen immediately by the Gerudos inside.

Before he could act, he could feel spears against his neck.

"Don't even think about moving, fish."

"Isn't this the one that destroyed our fishing vessal?"

"I thought you had left him for dead."

"That's what I thought."

"What do we do, Division Commander?"

"Jail him for now. The boss is asleep. She can talk to him in the morning."

Link recovered his senses just as a spear butt hit him in the head.

Up above in a small room Nadai checked out her new outfit. "You call this a Diving Suit?"

"It's Gerudo made." The woman nodded. "We used those fish skins and our own technology to make a suit so that we can breathe under the water."

"Does it work?"

"Of course. The Division Commander wanted you to have one for tomorrow. You'll be able to swim pretty deep and for as long as you want. Up to your strength and your endurance to see how far you go, but yes, you can swim underwater almost indefinitely."

"Alright." Nadai could feel the squeamish feeling of wearing Zora Skin sink in. "Where was I to go next?"

"I'm to take you to your room for the rest of the evening. The Boss will talk to you tomorrow, and we can show you the Diving Team. You can swim pretty well, according to the Division Commander. If she wants you to swim with the team, as a new girl, that's a high honor."

"Uh, thanks."

The suit was skin tight, and had been modified over the past several hours for Nadai's smaller frame. It was dark blue, and bore a belt which held her daggers. Her regular clothes was folded to the side, and Nadai picked them up. There was a deep ache in her legs, despite the potion that the Gerudos gave her to heal her from her wounds. The ache had to be from her fight with Goht; they must not have healed yet.

They left the small room, and walked to the main area of the fortress. Nadai had learned that it was based roughly like her own home back in Hyrule. There was a large central area, with all the rooms branching off of it. Instead of the rooms being carved into the side of a mountain, it was carved into the walls of a cliff. Different levels each held their own sections. There was the armory, living quarters, kitchen, and so forth.

Rope bridges spanned from higher level sections to lower ones, or to other high sections. The place was designed like a maze on purpose, so that intruders would have a hard time invading. Below in the main area was half dry land and half dock. Several large ships sat docked, with some Gerudos working on them. Other Gerudos patrolled the area, or practiced on the lowest level far below.

There was some commotion down below. Gerudos were around a body in the water, and the area was lit up with large torches with directed beams of light. Nadai picked at the mask that covered half of her face, trying to see better.

"What's going on?"

The older woman looked down, her visage grim. "Intruder."

"Intruder?"

"It's one of those fish. How'd he get inside?"

They watched as the Zora was knocked out and taken away.

"What are they going to do with him?"

"Probably question him in the morning." The woman shrugged and began walking. "The Boss will be up by then, and she can question him."

"Right." Nadai fell in step with the woman. "Is the boss just a sleepy person?"

"She's very busy."

"So they are taking him to the dungeon?"

"We have a few holding cells in the fortress on the base floor, but not a proper dungeon. We don't usually go for prisoners."

Nadai gulped and nodded. "Right."

They made their way to a small room with a single bed. This one too was on the top level of the fortress. "Here's your room for tonight. The mess hall is on the third level if you are hungry. Can you find your way back?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm going back to work. If the Diving Team is going out tomorrow, I need to prepare their suits."

Nadai was left alone then. She sat down on the bed and stared at the wall. The whole thing with Zoras being less than, well, what they should be didn't sit well with her. And the whole thing with the eggs didn't sit well with her either.

She stood up. She needed to think, and she didn't want to be hemmed in by these cold stone walls. She left her room and began walking around. No one stopped her. Because she wore their garb, they all assumed that she was one of them. Having red hair like theirs helped a lot. She easily blended in their mannerisms, even saluting when called to. But she didn't like it.

It reminded her too much of her dark time when she was a child. Spending time as a Gerudo, with Nabooru as her adopted mother, was fun and all. But she wouldn't do it again, not if she had the choice. She wanted to go back to how things were, to a family she had. More than anything, she wanted to be an adult.

She wanted kids.

She stopped as the thought came to her, and she began walking again. Yes, she wanted kids. Lost had kids, and she had kinda liked them. But, something had been awakened inside her. Motherly instincts maybe? Maybe her time as an adult had changed her more than she thought. And at ten years old and a bit, she wasn't ready for kids. Hell, her body wasn't even ready for her to have kids! She was a child. A child in body, but an adult in mind.

Maybe that was why Link was so crazy. Maybe he was like her. Maybe he was an adult in mind, but a kid in body. She needed to talk to Link. She missed him.

She came upon a doorway. She opened it and went inside without even thinking. A woman was lounging in her chair, reading reports from the look of it. In a tank behind her were five round eggs.

"You must be Nadai."

Nadai's attention didn't waver from the eggs. "What of it?"

"I'm the Boss of this place. We weren't supposed to meet until tomorrow, but—"

Nadai ignored the rest of what was said. She began to walk slowly to the tank. Her heart was made up. She was going to save those eggs. Then that Zora. And together they could save the eggs that were lost at sea.

"She's still talking to you." Tatl whispered, hidden in her hair.

"So what?"

"What did you say, brat?" The woman began to stand up, taking hold of two long swords.

"I said so what?" Nadai turned to her. "Gerudo or not, I won't go easy on you if you get in my way."

"Easy on me? Don't tell me you want to take my merchandise?"

"They're living beings, not slaves for profit." Nadai smiled. "Last chance."

The woman attacked first, her two swords flashing through the air. Nadai saw red. And she was angry, so very angry. Those eggs weren't for being sold. They weren't or being taken from their mother!

"Gerudo or not, I won't let you do this!" Nadai shouted out. She slipped into the woman's defenses, and stabbed her daggers into the woman's stomach.

"What…"

"Don't underestimate a Hero of Time."

"Who?" The Boss stepped back, her hands going to her stomach. "What the hell are you?"

Nadai smiled wickedly. "I'm a Hylian. I'm a Hero of Time. And I'm not going to let you get away with this!" Nadai rammed her head into the woman's head, now that it was lower for her to hit. The boss's nose broke, and Nadai followed through with a heavy kick to the knee cap.

The woman went down, and she moaned in pain. Nadai kicked down, slamming the woman's jaw into the ground. She attacked again and again, until Tatl stopped her by slapping Nadai on the cheek.

"She's done! Enough!"

Nadai breathed hard, and looked down at the bloody face of the woman. She slowed down, and stepped back from the mess.

"She's dead." Tatl said softly. "What the hell did you just do?"

Nadai swallowed hard. "I'll explain in a bit." She looked at the tank. "Do you see a bag or anything? We're taking the eggs and getting that Zora and getting the hell out of here."

"Just who are you?" Tatl didn't move. "I want an answer. Please."

Nadai looked at the fairy, and sighed. "I'll…I'll tell you everything. But not now. Not here. Let's get the eggs out of here first."

Tatl was silent. "Fine."

They found a bag on the dead woman's body, and put the eggs in it. The bag had to be enchanted, for it was damp to the touch and didn't dry out. The eggs should be safe in there, but they had to move.

She ran through the fortress, consequences damned. No one knew why she was running, and nor did they care. At least, until they found out that their boss was brutally murdered. She was in the middle of the fortress, and she needed to get to the bottom level if she remembered correctly. It didn't take long for her to find the cell with the Zora.

It was dark inside, with a singular torch lighting up the area. It was far away from both Nadai and the Zora, so it was hard to see properly.

"Hey!" Nadai hissed. "You alive?"

"Yeah." The Zora stood up, and towered over her. "What does a Gerudo want with me?"

"I'm here to get you out of here."

"And why would a Gerudo help me? You're more likely to take me to my death."

"No," she shook her head. "I'm not a Gerudo."

The Zora paused. "Nadai?"

The Zora stepped close to the bars, and Nadai could see him properly for the first time. Unlike normal Zoras, he wore a green tunic over his privates, and was bare chested. A guitar made of fish bones was hanging from his back.

"…Link?"

The Zora laughed gently. "I can't believe it's you."

"You moron." She smiled despite the flash of anger that took her. "Another mask? How'd you get here?"

"Of course, got it from a dying Zora. How did you get here? And what's with the get up?"

"No." Nadai held out a hand. "I want the truth."

"…the truth?"

"I want it all. Please."

Link hesitated. "After we leave. I need to save these Zora eggs for this mute girl."

"…what?"

"It's a long story." He held a hand through the bars. "Nadai. No more secrets. I promise."

Nadai hesitated before taking his hand. "No more secrets."

Tatl slipped out from Nadai's hair and put her tiny hand on theirs. "Even for me?"

Link looked pained. "Even for you." He sighed. "Now get me the hell out of here so we can save those eggs."

Nadai smirked. "Already got the eggs." The smirk faded when she remembered the dead woman. "Let's get out of here."

Link didn't say anything and nodded. He pointed to the far wall. "There's a key over there, I think. We might meet resistance. Where do we go from here?"

"We can swim out. Follow my lead."

"Can you?" Tatl asked. "There's no way out through the water, you'd have to open up the sea gates, and that takes at least four women to open."

Link smiled. "I broke a hole in the wall. We can slip through there. There's no way they would block it up that quickly."

Nadai nodded. "Then let's get out of here."

"What about the eggs lost at sea?" Tatl asked. "It'll be impossible to get them without knowing where exactly they are."

Nadai waited a moment, thinking. "There's an expedition going tomorrow morning for them. We can follow behind them and take it from them as needed."

Link nodded. "Sounds good to me. Let's get going."

Within a few minutes they had broken free from jail and were racing through cold stone corridors to the main area. When they came out into the open a dozen Gerudo guards spotted them and began to attack. Nadai was agile enough to avoid the arrows coming at her, and Link in his new body was far more agile than even he had expected. He was fast too, and made it to the water before Nadai did.

She dived in after him, and followed him to the hole in the fortress wall. Arrows rained down around them, but nothing hit. They swam through the opening, and into freedom.

Static: A longer one this time.

Wang: Whooo!

Static: Please Review!


	15. Chapter 15

Shadow: Deep dark secrets await!

Wang: They do?

Shadow: They do.

Wang: Oh, they do. We don't own a thing!

Chapter 15: Truth

They came out of the water close to where the Zora had died. They had swum underwater the whole way, thanks to the underwater breathing capabilities of Nadai's new suit and the Zora body Link had. They walked up to the shore and sat down just beyond the waves. It was all dark around them, save for the stars that shown between clouds far above them.

Link reached up and removed the mask from his face, and his body instantly grew smaller as he returned to being a Hylian. He wiped the water from his face, and set the mask on the ground.

"There was a Zora here earlier today, I played the Song of Healing and he became a mask."

"I watched as the Gerudo's killed him."

"His wife had laid eggs. She lost her voice and can't sing for this band she's in."

"I rescued half the eggs from the fortress. The rest are lost at sea."

"I still don't know where the temple is."

"Neither do I."

They were silent for a long time. Neither one looked at each other. Both of them stared out over the water, watching the waves leap up and meet the sky time and time again. Tatl sat on Nadai's shoulder, not saying anything either. It was if no one wanted to break the silence.

"When I told you I couldn't tell you that was because I had made a promise."

"To whom?"

"The three Goddesses."

"…what?"

"I was told that if I told anyone that the world would be destroyed, astronomical consequences and all that good stuff."

"We've dealt with that all before."

"This came from the Goddesses themselves, so I'm not sure if we could." He paused. "But let all of that be damned. We're the Heroes of Time, and you are the only one who doesn't know. You deserve to know."

"Know what?"

"When we first met, back on that bridge before Kokiri Forest, I beat you in combat."

"What about it?"

"You knocked me out. And if I remember, I couldn't even come close to beating you in combat until I was an adult, and even then I couldn't win against you until I had received training from Shiek and Wanderer."

"And?"

"What if I told you that I had lost all of my memories before that point?"

"Link, what are you talking about?"

"I had done everything before. And I had died."

Silence. Nothing exploded and the moon didn't come down to kill them. Nothing bad like he had expected had happened.

"What? What are you saying?"

He took her hand without thinking. "Navi woke me up months and months ago, and the Great Deku Tree called me. I went to him, and was told that this Gerudo named Ganondorf was trying to cast evil upon him. I failed. I then went to Princess Zelda. Then I failed. It took me so long, so much longer than you would ever expect, to get the other three Spiritual Stones. Then I became an adult. Then I failed. To compensate for the change of body and mental state, I lost myself. I held out for a long time, a very long time. And I failed.

"It wasn't until the Water Temple when I truly lost myself. When I came out of that place, I was a monster in all but body. I killed. I slaughtered. I stormed Ganondorf's castle and killed his whole army single handedly. Then I faced Ganondorf. Then I faced Gannon. Gannondorf caught me by surprise and I died."

"…Link?"

"The sages saved me then. They sacrificed themselves and all their power to bring me to the Sacred Realm. That was when the Goddesses gave me a choice. Go back in time and do everything all over again, or face Gannondorf as he was now, wounded and pained, just like I was. I chose to go back. There was some small part of me that wanted to fix everything that I had messed up before. So Navi and I went back in time. I was given a second chance."

"…She was there too?"

"She woke me up, and I knew everything. But I wasn't allowed to speak of it. I met you. Beat you. Then I lost all my memories." He looked at her. "You weren't there before, when I was a monster. And then you were here. And we did it. We saved Hyrule."

"…I…I wasn't there?"

"If you were, it wasn't like I remember now." Link's eyes moistened and tears began to fall. "I didn't get my memories all at once. It was little things at first, like in the Forest Temple. It wasn't until the end of the fight, when we were against Gannondorf, when my memories came back to me. That was why my head was always hurting. My memories were coming back bit by bit, and more importantly, when they came back I realized a singular truth."

"Navi always knew, didn't she? That's why you need to see her."

"It would explain why she knew so much about Hyrule back then. It would explain why she stayed around for so long. She was special. And when I needed to talk to her the most I couldn't."

"And what about me?"

"What about you?"

"I'm just, what, a figment of some imagination? I'm a messed up creation? A mistake? I shouldn't have been here?"

"No!" He shouted out, gripping her hand tightly.

"Don't you see, it wasn't Malon or Ruto or Zelda or Navi who saved me. It was you. It was you whom made me stay sane. You helped bring me out of my despair in the Water Temple. It took the world to break me apart just for me to see that the answer to my salvation was beside me all along."

"Then why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"'Cause I'm a moron?" He hung his head. "I have no excuse. If you still want to leave, go ahead. I don't deserve you."

"Maybe you don't."

He waited for her to leave, but she didn't leave.

"Was that all that was bothering you?" She asked softly.

"That's it. That's why I couldn't tell you anything."

"Not that." She tilted his head towards hers, looking him in the eyes. "This." She kissed him gently.

They pulled away. "Uh, what?"

"I think our time as adults messed with our heads."

"You think?"

"I think we still carry ourselves like we're seventeen again, going to save the world."

"We've always been going to save the world."

"But we carry ourselves like adults. Like the Heroes of Time, only a little younger. I want kids."

He blinked. "What?"

"I want kids." She leaned into him, holding his hand. She stared out over the water. "I want to have our own children."

"But…we're…kids."

"Are we? Certainly we're kids in body, but not in mind. We'll get called out, but I think it's alright. I want you."

"…I want you too."

"But we can't."

"We can't."

"We're kids."

"I'm not sure I'm even to physically able to do it right now anyways."

"So I have a suggestion."

"What?"

"We take things slow, when we're done here. And try to be something older than ourselves, but younger than what we should be."

"…I don't get it."

"Neither do I, really. But I'm willing to try."

"After all of this is done."

"After all if this is done."

They were silent, holding each other's hand and staring out over the water. A sense of peace came over them. For the first time for Link and Nadai, it was like things were finally coming around.

"So I have a question." All eyes turned to the fairy. "Who's Navi?"

Link was silent. Nadai shot him a glance, and nudged him. "What?"

"She deserves to know."

"Does she?"

"She does."

He grimaced. "But—"

"No. The truth."

Link sighed, the pent up frustration inside of him threatening to boil over. Then he breathed in and out and let the frustration go. It was time to start anew.

"Where I come from, in Hyrule, as a Kokiri you are given a fairy companion. There are two kinds of fairies in Hyrule, I'm not sure about here. There are the white fairies, like Navi, whom are fairy companions to Kokiri. Then there are red fairies, these ones don't have a master. When a Kokiri dies, their fairy dies with them. Navi was an exception. But she was also my fairy."

"What do you mean, "an exception?""

"Her own Kokiri died a long time before I met Navi for the first time. She survived."

"How do you know that her Kokiri died? What if that Kokiri is still alive?"

Link's eyes went flat. "That's impossible."

"Is it?" Tatl asked. "I've been seeing a lot of that in this past week or so."

Link was silent.

"But that might not be the case, right?" Nadai asked. "If Navi's Kokiri was still alive, wouldn't we have seen her before?"

"Right." Link said, his confidence grew a little. "Navi is alive, that I know, regardless of where she is."

They were all silent for a moment. "Is that why you don't trust me?" Tatl asked.

"…Maybe it's not don't, but rather can't."

"Was it because you loved her?"

"Yes."

"I'm not replacing Navi."

"I know that."

"…I understand how you feel."

"No you don't."

"I do."

"You don't."

"Tael and myself left the Great Fairy and ran away. When we tried to go back, she had others she loved instead of us."

Link and Nadai exchanged a quick glance. So this was what was going on with her back then.

"I know that she didn't replace us. I know I still have a place in her heart that is all for me to own. But it doesn't feel like that. So Tael and myself in a fit of, what, jealousy? Yeah, jealousy. In a fit of jealousy we ran off without revealing ourselves to the Great Fairy and we found Skull Kid."

"You found for yourself a new home." Nadai said softly.

"Yes. I'm not saying Navi did the same. But it might be a lot more complicated than her just disappearing."

"I know that!"

"Maybe she was forced to leave, or maybe she was taken. From what it sounds like, she loved you guys too. People like that don't leave for a reason."

"Then why did you leave the Great Fairy?"

"…I was young. And foolish. And, I don't know, adventurous? I was ready for more than just sitting around doing nothing all day. But now? What I wouldn't give to do nothing once more."

"Isn't that why we're here?" Nadai said softly. "To make it that we can do that kind of stuff?"

Link leaned over to the mask. "That's right." He put on the mask, his body growing taller and sleeker. "We have a job to do."

In the darkness that covers the sky before predawn, a small shape could be seen over the horizon. It was vaguely boat shaped, and it had come from the north.

"It's the Gerudos."

"Think they're searching for us?" Link asked.

"I think they're after the other eggs." Nadai got up, slowly stretching out tired muscles. "Once they figured out we stole the eggs and killed their boss they would be worried we would be after the other eggs. We should follow them."

"Wait, you killed their boss?"

"Yeah." Her tone was flat, and low.

"Well, one less person to take care of, I guess."

"I didn't want to kill her."

"…I know."

"But she wasn't, well, a person in the conventional sense. She seemed so much eviler than any of Gerudos I knew when I was younger."

"You don't have to rationalize it to me."

"I know."

"Remember, I used to be monstrous too."

Link went off into the water, leaving the two of them behind. "Link won't say it, but he's thankful for you."

"How so?"

"You didn't want to take us to the Great Fairy, but you did anyways."

"…I was that obvious?"

"Just a little." Nadai smiled. "Things won't change right off. He's a little too stubborn for that. But, he is thankful and he will listen to you."

"How do you know?"

"I've been by his side for so long, I know him almost as well as myself. Now let's get going, we have to go save the world."

"We're just saving some eggs."

"To that Zora, those eggs are her world."

They went into the water, and swam off after Link and the boat. The boat went out, further and further south and deeper than they had expected. Tatl was nervous, and held onto Nadai tightly.

"Something's wrong?"

"The water isn't right. It's like…there's something poisoning the water."

"Poison? Like in the swamp?"

"Something worse than that. It's more subtle. I think that if you weren't in your suit or if Link wasn't a Zora you'd be dead by now."

"And yourself?"

"I have a protective bubble around myself." Tatl smiled. "I should be good."

Link dropped back to them. His Zora body allowed him to be much faster than Nadai, whom would normally beat him in any sort of water-related race.

"They stopped, and are dropping anchor."

True enough, a hundred yards from them the boat had coasted to a stop. A large anchor had fallen and it sank lower and lower into the water. It was hard to tell where it ended, for the bottom of the ocean floor was out of sight.

"You want to fight them first?" Link asked.

"I'd rather not." Nadai answered. "I don't want to be like…"

The flashes of the brief fight with the Boss flashed through her mind. She didn't want to be like that again, full of rage and hatred. Was that what Link had to deal with in his previous life? If so, just how different had he been, doing that kind of thing over and over and over and over again? The thought was enough to bring a chill to her bones that had nothing to do with the cold water they were in. Maybe it might be better for her to not be in combat. Rather that than be a monster again.

"I understand. I'll distract them." Link turned his back to her. "You want to get the eggs then? Tatl can help you."

Nadai smirked, glad that he understood and didn't mention it. "Since when did you call the shots?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. It just, feels right? I guess."

"Well, go and feel right over there," she smiled. "I've got the eggs." She went down, following the anchor's chain to the bottom of the sea. She could feel the pressure beginning to build up against her suit. "Does this suit handle all of this pressure?"

"It should. I mean, the other Gerudos managed to get down this deep, so you should be able to do so to." Tatl answered. "But I would hurry up anyways."

Nadai nodded. "That sounds good to me."

She went down to the floor, floating a few feet above the sandy, rocky floor. Large holes were spread about, and Tatl shivered.

"Those are Deep Python nesting caves."

"Deep Pythons?"

"Large underwater snakes." Tatl clarified. "I heard some Terminians talking about them a while ago, saying that they were just fantasy. One of them claimed to have seen them though."

"Let me guess, it's nesting season for them then."

"It wouldn't surprise me if it was the case."

"Anything else to know about these snakes?"

"They like to eat Zoras and their eggs?" Tatl shrugged. "Not a lot is known about them, but The Great Fairy mentioned that the Zoras and the Deep Pythons were mortal enemies back in the day."

"Sounds like the Gorons and the Dodongos."

"The Gorons and the dodo-whatsits?"

"Dodongos. Lizard creatures that breathe fire." Nadai said. "So if I were a Zora egg, where would I be?"

"My guess is in one of these caves."

Nadai nodded. "Can you shed some more light, it's hard to see down here."

Tatl's protective bubble emitted a light, soft, cream-covered light. It grew brighter. "I can't hold it for long."

"Then let's not waste any time."

Together they went to the first cave. Inside was a large sea serpent, but it's eyes were glassy and empty. Nadai came closer to the beast, holding her hand out and touching the scaly hide.

"Dead."

"The poison?"

"Maybe. The eggs."

"They have a hard shell, maybe they'll be safe."

"We don't know until we have them." Nadai turned around. "See them?"

"Nothing."

"Then we keep on searching, double time."

Up above, Link waited under the boat. No one had gotten out yet of the vessel, and he couldn't tell if anyone was going to come out. He debated going out of the water to face them, but he would have the advantage under the water, even inexperienced as he was in his Zora body.

The first person hit the water with a quiet splash, followed by four more. Five in all, and all of them bore large tridents with serrated tips. Link gulped. Those tips would probable pierce his skin if he was stabbed, and subsequently he would probably be ripped to shreds if those tridents were pulled out of his body.

"Oi!"

The Gerudos turned to him. One of them was familiar, it was the one that had knocked him out earlier. She also looked to be their leader, in some fashion or another.

"It's the fish."

"If I'm a fish then you're chum."

Link readied himself to fight. The long fins along his arms seemed to grow in front of him, but he couldn't tell if they actually grew or if he was imagining things. If he was right, he was starting to get light headed. Something wasn't right. The further he had gone into the water the more lightheaded he felt. Was this some sort of poison? Or was this closer to the damage done when he spilled the secrets of his past?

He couldn't tell.

"Get him."

Gerudos were fast. He had a hard time fighting against them in his previous life, and Nadai had done most of the fighting when they were adults. He really hadn't pitted himself against them as a child. And not even as a Zora. He knew these women were dangerous and skilled, and he wasn't going to pull any stops.

However, he was a Zora right now and could straight up move faster than most anything in the water. He reacted as though he was an adult and unarmed. The first Gerudo flew past him, missing him. He hit the woman in the back of the head, and his fins cut through her suit like paper.

The woman screamed, and he followed through with a kick to propel himself away from her and away from the next woman's attack. He looked at the fins for the first time, really looked at them. They reminded him of Ruto's own fins. They were long and sharp. And if what he had just done was any indication, they were deadly.

He'd have to get used to them before he could properly use them.

The second Gerudo was upon him, and he blocked the trident stab with his fins. The fins held, and the woman was pushed back. If they were above water, they would have been equal strengths, but below water the added friction against the Gerudo caused her strength to be halved. Link didn't have any such resistance against him.

He moved before the woman could respond, and disarmed her. He punched her, the point of his fin piercing her chest. The woman cried out in pain, and swam backwards. He turned to the next two, their boss was behind them fiddling with something. He narrowed his eyes. He should finish this quickly.

The two women worked in tandem, attacking and defending each other with precision only seen in teams which have spent long hours practicing together. It would be nigh impossible to fight against them and win. Already the other two women were recovering themselves and readying themselves for another round. However, Link was something better than that. He had a lifetime of practice and skill to draw upon; a lifetime where he had fought against insurmountable odds and won against them time and time again. He had also trained with Shiek, the last know Shiekah, and Wanderer, a fighter whom had more skill in a single pinky than Link had in his whole body.

It wasn't fair.

Much like Nadai was able to twirl about and strike out against numerous enemies numerous times with her twin daggers, Link was able to do the same thing. Being in the water gave him the speed advantage, and his knowledge meant that he knew how to react against them. Tridents and spears were much the same thing, and he had fought against plenty of spear-using Gerudos in his time.

He spun about, dodging attacks from all sides as his arms whipped back and forth, cutting and piercing the Gerudo women. While he liked using a sword much better than these fins, he couldn't deny that the fins were sharp and dangerous to a T. When he was done spinning about, the four women around him were injured to a point where retreat was far better than sticking around to fight.

But all the women he had cut were moving slower and slower, and their attacks became sloppy. He watched their eyes slowly became glassy and clouded. He understood then that there was something in the water, something that caused them to be like that and what was giving him a terrible light-headedness that didn't help with the spinning he had just done. Some sort of poison was in the water. He needed to finish this fast, find Nadai, and get out of there before he fainting was a better idea than staying awake.

While he was dizzy, a chain wrapped around him. He looked to their leader, whom had a strange device in her hands that had shot the chain at him.

"Struggle and I'll kill you slowly." The woman promised.

"Weren't you going to do that anyways?" He peered closer at the weapon in her hands. "Isn't that a Hookshot?"

"A what?"

"Ah, you don't call it that."

"Quiet, fish!"

"You should really not call me that."

The chain tightened suddenly, and Link looked down to see his blood in the water. Oh. This chain had spikes.

"Now come here!" The woman pulled him close with the reverse function of her hook-shot-whatchamacallit.

Link squirmed, but couldn't resist the pull of the machine. The woman pulled out a saber, and went to decapitate him. He pulled off the mask. The chains around him slackened, and he slipped free. He watched as the woman's eyes went wide in shock. He held his breath, feeling the poison in the water hurting him already.

Using the momentum of being pulled, he swam at her. She switched tactics, and aimed her saber to cut him from above. He put the mask back on. In a sudden instant, he went from moving like a tortoise through the water to moving as fast as he had when he had broken the wall. His arm fin cut her, and her head rolled through the water away from her.

Then Link blacked out, the poison finally getting to him.

He awoke to a gentle rocking motion. He was looking up at the sky, the wounds around his body wrapped up in soft linen. He got up. He was in a boat, presumably the Gerudos, and Nadai was rowing back to shore.

"You're up."

"I am."

"You okay?"

"I was a Hylian for a bit against them, using it to my advantage. I guess the poison was more potent than I thought. At least, I think it was poison."

"It's poison. It killed the monsters down there, and it had almost gotten the eggs. When i got back up to the surface, I found you floating in the water by the dead bodies, I thought you were dead at first."

"Nah, I'm good." He was sore as all get out, but he wasn't out for the count.

He took the oars from Nadai and went about rowing instead of her. She looked at him.

"I got the eggs."

"What monsters had them?"

"Hoarded by this Deep Python."

"Deep Python?"

"Giant sea snake." She answered. "As I said, they died to the poison in the water before they ate any of the eggs."

"So we rescued them all."

"We did."

"That's good."

"I also got this." Nadai pulled the contraption out from behind her.

"Ah, the Not-Hookshot."

"It's got spikes on the chain. That's torturous right there."

"I know, it's what hit me."

"Do we keep it?"

"It might be useful." Link looked over Nadai's shoulder, where the faintest hint of dawn could be seen over the horizon. "Keep it and you use it."

"I'd rather it didn't have spikes."

"Same here. We can work on that as we go."

Nadai began to fiddle with the machine. Several buttons were on it. One was to release, and one was to draw it in, she knew that much. But there was another button that she didn't know its function. Whatever the Gerudos were, it included bloodthirsty and horrible. But they had to be more scientifically advanced than Nabooru and those back in Hyrule. Whatever this was, it was scary.

She'll try it out later.

A few hours of rowing later dawn broke out over the horizon and the sun was low in the sky. They had gone straight east, and in doing so they had come close to where the Zoras had first taken Link. Link brought the boat close to the shore and they disembarked.

The Zoras had to have hid when they saw the boat. After all, it was the Gerudos originally, so it was doubtless that they would recognize and hide from them. But seeing a Zora and a Gerudo getting out of the boat had them intrigued. Intrigued enough for a lone woman to come running out to them and the others to trail behind.

Link recognized the others behind the woman. They were the self-proclaimed band members and friends of this Mikau character. And that meant that the woman was the dead Zora's wife. The Zora woman frowned as she came closer. Her mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out.

"You must be Lulu." Link said.

The woman nodded slowly. Her mouth opened and nothing came out.

"My name is Link." He pointed to Nadai. "She's Nadai. She helped me rescue the eggs."

Nadai unhooked the bag from her belt and handed it to the woman. "They're all in there."

The Zora snatched the bag and looked inside. She held it close to her chest. After a moment she looked up at Link expectantly.

"Mikau is dead."

She nodded slowly, as if she had already known.

"I'm sorry. He…he loved you very much."

Her mouth opened and a raspy sound like wind over sand came out. "I know." She looked up. "Thank you for saving my children."

A chill came down over Link's spine, and he turned at the same time as Nadai to the ocean. Whatever poison had been in that water, it hadn't been natural. Something was wrong with this place, more so than the Gerudo Pirates. It was like the swamp and the mountains, the wrongness was unnatural. Tavi shivered as well. Majora had been here, and he had done something evil to this place.

"What is it?" Someone asked, Link didn't know his name.

"I need to get to the temple." Link said. "That's why we're here." He turned to them. "Can you get to Clocktown? It'll be safer there."

"Safer?"

"Surely you felt the poison in the water." Link narrowed his eyes and looked back over the water. "Something is wrong with this place."

"We can." Lulu's voice came out stronger. "You'll need a ride to the temple. Take the Giant Turtle."

"Giant Turtle?"

A sound came out of Lulu, and a most beautiful sound came out of her lips. Link and Nadai both played instruments, and they both had traveled around to various cultures and listened to their native music. But nothing was as beautiful as Lulu's voice.

Almost out of nowhere a giant turtle came out of the water.

"That's a giant turtle." Nadai looked up at it.

The turtle had to be about the size of the Great Deku Tree, and maybe twice as wide. On its back was a sodden pair of tall palm trees, both of which were old and strong. The turtle looked at the three of them on the shore.

"You wish to travel to the Great Bay Temple?"

"And it talks." Nadai continued. "The turtle talks."

"Is that a yes?" The Giant Turtle continued, ignoring Nadai's comments.

"Yes." Nadai answered.

"Oh good, it's been years since I've been there."

"Go, we'll head to the town." Lulu smiled. "Thank you for my children. Thank you."

Link nodded. "No problem."

They turned to look at the turtle. "How do we get on?" Tatl shrugged.

"We have the Not-Hookshot."

Link took the weapon from Nadai and fired it at the tree. It reached and plunged into the wood. He grabbed Nadai and they went through the air to land on the turtle's back. Nadai frowned and took the weapon from Link.

"Just call it the Hookshot, will ya?"

Link smiled. "Fine with me."

"Are you two ready?" The Giant Turtle asked.

"Ready."

Time Stop:We decided against the boomerang-esque things Link should have had. We have Nadai after all to do ranged things.

Static: Besides, it doesn't make sense.

Time Stop: Quite Right.

Static: Please Review!


	16. Chapter 16

Shadow: Finally got this out.

Time Stop: It's a little longer, so I hope y'all can forgive us.

Shadow: As usual, we don't own a thing.

Chapter 16: Gyorg

Turtles are known to be slow. And one would assume that a Giant Turtle would likewise be slow. This Giant Turtle was fast, and it crossed a dozen miles and more in far less time than it would have taken them to fly or even swim or use the boat. By mid-morning they were approaching a stormy part of the sea, far further west than they would have expected to go. Up ahead was a cyclone of wind and water and thunder. But the Giant Turtle didn't slow down or even allowed Link or Nadai a chance to retort.

Link changed from his Zora body to his Goron one, and he stood as stoically as possible against the wind. He gripped both trees in his huge fists and planted himself between them. Nadai gripped onto Link and wrapped herself around one of his legs. Tatl likewise hung onto dear life onto Nadai's hair.

One second they were against the wind, and the next second they were in the rush of the cyclone. Link struggled to stay upright, and he could feel Nadai threaten to let go. Taking a hand, he gripped onto her and held her tight to his chest. He could feel the wind start to lift him from the turtle. He held onto tight to both Nadai and the tree. He forced himself to get his feet back on the turtle's back.

Ten minutes later they were out of the cyclone and into the eye of the storm. Before them was a large, cavernous-like rocky formation with a singular entrance. It loomed above them for a good twenty feet, even as high up as they were on top of the Giant Turtle. However, if this temple was anything like the Water Temple back in Hyrule this was going to be a mess and a half when it came to figuring it out and the size of the monstrosity.

The Giant Turtle entered through a hole large enough for him to fit into, though he had to submerge himself to do so. Link changed into his Zora form, and Nadai and himself clung onto the trees on the turtle's back as he navigated a small tunnel underwater. The turtle reemerged from the water, and the heroes found themselves in a large, dock-esque room.

"This is as far as I can take you." The turtle rumbled. "I need to leave myself before I spend too much time here. The water, it isn't right."

"So you feel it too."

"This place isn't right. It used to be beloved by all the races all the time. But no one has come here in years, and even fewer have come here who aren't Zora." The Giant Turtle began to submerge itself. "It was nice coming back here for the first time in a decades. The best of luck to you."

There wasn't a chance to say goodbye. Instead, they focused on what they could do. A large torch illuminated the room from a door which was, of course, locked. From the light of the torch, they could make out the shadowy forms of torches unlit.

Without a word Nadai drew her bow, and sent and effort of will to each arrow as she fired them at the unlit torches. The arrows lit themselves mid-flight and the torches were lit. The door clicked, and the three of them turned to it.

"Ready?"

Tatl nodded. "I'm ready this time. I'll do my best to help."

Link opened the door, and followed Nadai inside. Inside this room, which was rather large and circular, was something that resembled the windmill back in Kakariko. It was a wheel of some sorts, with different colored pipes trailing between there and there. And, much as Link expected, half of the room was submerged with water.

"It's a water wheel." Tatl flew up to it. It wasn't activated, and the three pipes that ran to it weren't pushing out water. "We have to activate it."

"Hm?" Nadai looked about. "How?"

"These pipes, we have to get the water pushing through all three pipes to this water wheel. And that should open up the inner room."

"Inner room?" Link asked.

"This temple was more focused on the relationships of the different races and all." Tatl explained. "The Zoras had an inner room where they would worship, one that was only accessible to them. I think that Majora's General, whomever he is, is going to be in there."

"Because that follows the trends we've been seeing so far." Nadai caught on. "Odolwa and Goht did that. It would make sense that this creep did the same."

"So how?" Link's eyes was following one of the pipes as it ran out of the room. "We have yellow, red, and green. It probably has to be done in a certain order to be done right."

"Maybe." Tatl nodded. "My guess is that they were all just arbitrarily turned off, and we just have to turn them all on again."

"That would be almost too easy."

"I think that they didn't even expect us to get this far. Unlike the Deku Scrubs or the Gorons, this isn't used as much as theirs. I would argue even the Canyon Temple is used more often than this one, simple because this is so far away."

"But we beat two of the four already, wouldn't they expect something yet?"

"Maybe they're stupid." Link pointed out a yellow switch under the water, half hidden behind the water wheel's base. "Found a switch."

He dove into the water and swam to it. Entering the water, he could tell immediately that the poison within it was evident. But as a Zora, he should mostly be immune to it. But if he got cut, or switched to being a Hylian again, there would be problems. And that meant that things were even worse for Nadai. She didn't have some inert resistance to this poison like he did. She was only protected because of the suit she wore. If she didn't have that…

He shook his head to dispel the thoughts and worked on the switch. This one moved smoothly, as if it was used recently and repeatedly. He didn't know if he should be concerned or not. He finished moving the lever, and could feel the switch in water as the water began to slightly move around him. There was a current now, where the water before had been stagnant. Did that mean that there would be a stronger current once the water wheel was fully turned on?

To one side of the room a jet of water came out of water and rose into the air. Both Nadai and Link looked at it. Up above, just out of reach, was a catwalk with an opening leading to another room. They went for it. Nadai got to it first, and rode the water up skillfully. She landed on the catwalk and hurried to the next room. Link was sucked up, out of the water, and into the stream of water. He twisted in midair and managed to land on his feet, but his entrance to the jet of water was less than ideal.

He scrambled to his feet and followed Nadai. They came out into a circular room that sank low under the water. There was a definite current, as they could see that the whole of the body of water turn and turn and turn. Through the water they could see various small hallways of sorts, separate channels of if you will, from that central, circular room. Each offshoot had a distinct color around the entrance, making each one identifiable.

"Which one do you want to do first?"

Nadai pointed down to the yellow entrance. "It looks like we can't get into some of them until the current is reversed. And that one is the one on top, so we could always start with that one first."

Link nodded. "Let's go then."

The two of them dove into the water. Immediately they were pulled by the current. Having no choice, they followed along the outside of the room until they got to the yellow entrance. If Link didn't know any better, he would swear that there was a distinct pull downwards. He glanced below, and saw a large grate in the center of the floor far below them. They were in a giant whirlpool. If his judgment was right, those holes in the grate was large enough to suck away Nadai, and he would be trapped in them.

That wouldn't be good if they got too close to that.

Entering the yellow entrance, they followed the hallway into another room. As soon as they entered, a swarm of skeletal fish attacked them. Using his fins and using her daggers, they fought against the Skullfish as best as they could. But Nadai didn't have the same level of strength underwater, thanks to all the friction. Link was the one whom defeated all the monsters, leaving Nadai almost helpless against them.

Tatl swam about a lower part of the room, where a green entrance lay. "Over here!"

Just as the fairy spoke, a large hand grabbed her. Attached to a long, thin arm, they crept out of the green entrance and began to fight over the fairy. Link focused, and sped through them using his enhanced speed as a Zora. His fins cut the hands from the wrists, and they stopped moving. Nadai followed quickly behind, scooping up Tatl among the hands.

"I can't fight like this. I'm no good underwater."

"Then don't use the daggers then." Tatl said. "There has to be another weapon you could use instead."

Nadai's hands strayed to the Hookshot on her belt. The Longshot had worked wonders in the Water Temple back in Hyrule. Would this be the same?

In the next room she found Link battling it out against Deku Babas. Only, they were still underwater, and the Deku Baba heads were still moving even after Link had cut some of the stalks.

"What are these!"

"They're Bio Deku Babas!" Tatl shouted out. "Cutting the heads off won't work here, you have to destroy it completely!"

Nadai whipped out her Hookshot, and aimed at the heads. Between the two of them, they cleared out the underwater plants. Looking about the room, they was nowhere to go.

"Backtrack?" Link suggested.

She looked at one section of the wall. "Look, there's a key in the wall."

"What?"

He looked closer. Sure enough there was a key handle sticking out of the wall. He gripped it, and pulled with all of his strength. The key gave way, and he held it in his hands. At the same time, the wall gave way and crumbled. A current started, and they were flushed away this new tunnel.

They came out a little lower back in the central room where they had started from. The current was much stronger here, and it took everything Link had not to be sucked downward. Nadai wasn't so fortunate, and she was sucked down.

With no choice, Link followed her. He caught up to her before she got too low, and he searched for an exit. Their options were becoming more and more limited. He reached out and pulled them into a red entranced tunnel. Once they were inside the tunnel they could face off against the current.

They were in one of the lowest, if not the lowest, tunnel that they could have gone before being sucked into that grate. With not much choice in the matter, they went forward. There was air in this next room, with a large red pipe climbing out of the water to a locked door. They climbed up the red pipe, where they were immediately beset on by Octoroks and one lone Bombchu.

Things were a lot easier for Nadai now that she was on land. The Bombchu fell into the water without another thought. However, taking out the Octoroks were another matter altogether. They're hard outer shell couldn't be pierced by Nadai's arrows without her being stronger and older. And the Hookshot would only bring them closer to them, which wouldn't do anything there anyways since they would only escape and swim back away from Link and Nadai's close ranged attacks.

Link was going to switch back into a Hylian when Nadai put her hand on his arm. "Don't bother. Let's just go through this next room."

"Hm?"

"I…I have a good feeling about this, alright?"

Tatl nodded. "I'm feeling something real nasty behind that door. Be careful, guys."

Link turned to the locked door. "That's fine with me."

Dodging the stones shot at them, they went to the locked door and unlocked it and headed inside.

Once inside the room, the door closed and locked behind them. From the ceiling dropped a giant eyeball covered in translucent bubbles. The eyeball blinked at them, before rolling at them far faster than they expected.

They dodged out of the way, both of them raising their weapons to bare. "Nadai, focus on the eye! Link, worry about the bubbles." Tatl instructed. "This thing's a parasite called Wart! Be careful!"

As if they had rehearsed it, they went into action immediately. Nadai took aim at the eyeball's eyeball, and fired several shots in rapid succession. As the monster rolled out of the way to dodge the attack, Link was there. With his arm fins he attacked, forcing the monster to roll away. However, Link struck against a patch of bubbles, popping them.

The bubbles reorganized themselves, blocking the eyelid as it homed its sight on Nadai. Its path was blocked when Link attacked again, clearing out the bubbles on the eye. Nadai's arrow found its mark a second later, and the monster roared in pain despite not having a mouth.

The monster rolled away blindly attacking them, forcing Link and Nadai to focus on dodging and defending themselves. The bubbles flew off the eyeball, and they flew at them through the air. Link took up position in front of Nadai and defended against the bubbles as she took aim once more.

He cut down the last of the bubbles as the arrow found Wart once more. The monster roared in pain and rolled at them. Thinking quickly, Link took off the Zora Mask and put on his Goron Mask. Instantly his body grew larger and heavier. With his feet solidly planted, he punched the eyeball, stopping it in its tracks. With one last shot, Nadai put an arrow up to its feathers into the monster's pupil.

The thing disappeared in a cloud of ashy smoke as Link returned back to his Zora form. A chest appeared in its wake. Nadai opened it and nothing was inside. She was about to speak when power coursed through her body. She closed her eyes. This was so familiar, yet so foreign to her. It was like something in her head finally understood something, and everything clicked together.

Taking her bow, she notched an arrow and concentrated. Instead of fire, an aura of blue came out of the tip. She fired and an icy cold emitted from the arrow as it flew.

"Ice Arrows?" Link asked. "What's next, Light Arrows?"

"Maybe." Nadai shrugged. "So, what do we do with this?"

"Uh, you two know that you can freeze water and enemies with that, right?"

She turned to Tatl. "So we can freeze enemies. What does that have to do with anything?"

"On the other side of the Octoroks, wasn't there a platform just out of reach?"

Link shrugged. "Was there?"

"There was, you two were too busy fighting and dodging stones to notice them." Tatl nodded empathetically. "And on that platform was a red switch."

"A what?" Link cocked his head to one side. "There was?"

Tatl sighed. "Listen. This place can't just be done by fighting all nilly willy. We have to think about this first. I don't fight, so I can think about what we can do next. Haven't you guys been noticing the pipes?"

"Like the red one outside this room?" Nadai asked.

"Exactly. That same one was found in that upper yellow room we visited first. I bet a thousand rupees that we have to turn on this switch, and backtrack up to that other room to further activate that switch."

"So we can turn on all the water for that water wheel."

"Exactly!"

"But we need to tackle that whirlpool too. That'll be nigh impossible."

"Not for a Zora." Tatl argued. "You hold onto Nadai and you can quite literally swim faster than the current."

"…I find that highly unbelieveable."

"Oh just try it out." Nadai smirked. "I trust her and I trust you. Now let's get that switch activated."

She left the room, and Link had little choice but to resign himself to follow. Nadai raised her bow and fired in quick succession. The arrows shot out, hitting the Octoroks. Since they were covered in water, they froze to the arrows and became blocks of ice.

"Be careful, they won't last long."

Link nodded. He ran and jumped at the water's edge. He landed on the first Octorok and used the slippery momentum to continue jumping to the next Octorok and the next one after that. He got to the switch. He heaved, and this one moved far easier than the first switch he had activated.

The Octoroks unfroze, dying in the process. He swam back to Nadai. She looked up at him. "Don't drop me, 'kay?"

"Like I would drop you."

He held her from behind, wrapping his arms around her midsection. Any other time and he might had felt something. But he was a Zora, and it felt more to him like he was an adult picking up a child. Definitely not something for him to feel at the moment.

They jumped into the water. It took a second for him to fight against the current leading inside the room, but he slowly began to move forward. He shot out at super-sonic speed as he hit the whirlpool. It was hard for him to maneuver without his arms, but he was able to swim and resist the downward spiral for the most part. He angled his body and made a wide loop for the upper yellow entrance. Sure enough there was a red pipe leading into it.

How the hell hadn't he noticed it before?

They went into the yellow entranced tunnel, and followed the red pipe to the first room. This time there was an air pocket at the top. They went for it, and clambered onto the red pipe once more. Across the room was a doorway, but it was impossible to get to from their current position.

"Now what?"

"We freeze the water." Tatl simply said. "Those Ice Arrows should freeze the water long enough for us to get across."

Nadai nodded, and notched her bow. Taking her time she fired off five arrows, making five icy patches in the water. Each one had an arrow stuck out of it in the middle. One at a time they jumped from icy patch to icy patch to get to the door.

Opening the door, a mob of multicolored jellies swarmed them. Link was grabbed by the monsters, while Nadai climbed onto his shoulders. They came in reds and yellows and blues and greens, and each one was stickier than anything Link had come across before.

"What are these things?" Link tried to move, but his arms were effectively bound by his sides.

"They're called Chus." Tatl said. "They're harmless for the most part, but enough of them can swarm and drown a man with their jelly bodies."

"Great." Link tried to move again but nothing could be done against the jelly bodies. He glanced about the room. "What can we do?"

"They are basically water." Tatl shrugged. "We could melt them or freeze them."

Nadai shifted on Link's shoulders; it was getting dangerously close to falling off. She aimed her bow and fired an arrow at a Chu away from the group closest to Link and herself. The Chu hit froze in place. Nadai fired again and again into the crowd. She jumped off of Link and bounced from frozen block to frozen block.

With Link drawing all off the aggression, Nadai fired arrow after arrow into the swarm of Chus. Link struggled to move, and it wasn't until the Chus were frozen around him that he could move at all. As soon as they were frozen it took only the slightest bit of pressure from Link to snap and crack the monsters into little pieces. Soon he was standing with her in front of a large swarm of frozen Chus and a lot of broken bits and pieces.

"So what? Fight a bunch of jelly blobs and run into a…" Link trailed off as his eyes fell on a platform out of reach. "There we go."

"How do we get up?"

Link glanced at the frozen monsters. "Well, we do have couple blocks of ice here."

It took some maneuvering, and the Goron Mask, but they were able construct a rough stairway to the platform. Upon it was a red switch.

"This must be it." Nadai said. "Activate it and we should return to the waterwheel?"

"Sounds good. We can go out the way we did before, where that key was."

"Sounds good to me."

They backtracked past the Chus and past where the fallen Octoroks lay. They dove into the water and went forward through the tunnel and the following room. This time, instead of having the room filled with water it was half full, revealing a series of platforms.

Nadai pointed up and swam to them. Link followed, and the two of them clambered onto a platform. There was a door at the far end, but it was blocked by a large block of ice. "Check it out?" Link asked.

She nodded. She fired a fire arrow at it and melted the ice. She then fired ice arrows at the water to make a path for them to walk to.

As they neared it Nadai slowed down. "There's something wrong in there."

"What?"

"I…It's not one of Majora's Generals." She said. "Something else is in there."

"Probably some other monster." Link said. "We got this."

He opened the door and went inside. Nadai went in on his heels, and immediately stiffened. There definitely was something wrong in here. From the ceiling a large lizard creature resembling a gecko roared out a challenge. It spreads its front legs in a welcoming gesture, dropping tiny specks of light. As the light fell towards them, it grew and grew until they were the size of horses. Then the light coalesced into something resembling jellyfish.

"Ah. That would explain it." Link said.

The jellyfish attacked, and they had to separate to avoid being hit.

"Isn't that the same gecko we fought back in the swamp?" Nadai asked.

"No, that was a frog. This is more of a gecko." Link swatted at the closest jellyfish, and the thing rebounded from him. It didn't seem like it did any damage. "Invulnerable enemies?"

"Maybe." Nadai pulled out her bow and fired an ice arrow at the closest jellyfish. "That was pointless." The arrow had gone right through the thing without freezing it.

"Aim for that gecko!"

Just as Tatl shouted to them the thing came down and attacked. It was far stronger than Link had expected, and he was knocked into a group of jellyfish. He was stuck tight, and he couldn't move.

"What's with this place and not being able to move!" He struggled with marginal success.

The gecko attacked, and the long claws raked at Link's body. He roared in pain and struggled to move. Thinking fast, Nadai aimed her bow and fired an ice arrow at the monster. The gecko howled in pain as the arrow dug deep into its back. The jellyfish released their hold around Link long enough for him to escape. The gecko retreated, eyeing Nadai with hot eyes.

The gecko growled at them, its tongue flicking out. The jellyfish changed directions, and went at Nadai.

"Link, protect Nadai! Nadai, shoot that thing down!" Tatl shouted.

Link was already on it. He jumped in the way, his fins darting about. The jellyfish were knocked back and the path was clear. Nadai shot again, but this time the gecko was ready for it. It moved out of the way and she was forced to shoot again.

"Why does it seem that we're switching roles here?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. You seem more… sensitive? And I feel like I'm taking a more protective role."

"You might have something to that," she said. She aimed her bow and fired again, but the Gecko was a bit too fast.

"I don't know, I feel…different?"

"Maybe the two of you are growing up?" Tatl suggested.

"How so?"

"I don't know, the two of you seem, well, more mature ever since the Gerudos."

"I guess?" Link shrugged, deflecting more of the jellyfish.

"Maybe telling each other your secrets helped that." Tatl suggested. "That certainly had something to do with that. I think."

"Maybe. Maybe we are growing up to whom we are supposed to be."

"Hm?" Link glanced at her. "How?"

"Well, if I'm right, then maybe we are supposed to have gone through all this."

"What?"

Nadai aimed another arrow, tracking the gecko with her eye. "Don't you remember? When we first met Lost and Wanderer didn't we think that they were familiar?"

"A little, yeah."

"Who?" Tatl asked.

"They are a couple from Termina, who help us out in the future." Link quickly explained. "And yeah, I can see that," he reiterated, "it makes sense a little. Lost was a lot more sensitive to things."

"And Wanderer was wiser than we gave him credit for."

"I've noticed that he was also more of a protector. And, well, I think I've been more of a damsel in distress or someone on the defense instead of something like the hothead I was before."

"You do have a lot more living done more than others at our age."

"So do you."

"Yeah, and maybe that's why I feel more sensitive."

"You did know that something was behind this door."

"And Lost could fight better than anyone else I know, but she took a more passive, support role."

"She was a mother."

"And she valued life more. I think. I don't know. Killing that Gerudo boss back in their fortress really messed with me, I'm not going to lie. I don't know how open I am to fighting and killing anymore."

"It had to do with the inner demon inside of you." Link said. "After facing something like that it's hard to keep on doing it without succumbing to it."

"I guess."

"Believe me, I'd rather not do any of this myself."

"Then why do you do it?"

"What, and leave you all the fun?" He joked. "I mean, someone has to do it. And I'm already in this deep. I can't just back out now. I need to face those demons so others can rest easy."

"Isn't that why we have the triforce of courage?"

"Maybe."

"So who really are these people?"

"I think they're us in the future." Nadai said. "They're the us that grew up over seven years instead of being in a stasis for seven years."

"Right…the whole time traveling thing." Tatl sighed. "I keep on forgetting that you two kids are really, well, not kids."

"At least not in the conventional sense." Nadai smiled. "You aren't either anymore."

"What?"

"Welcome to the club Tatl," Link grunted in exertion. "We time travel and save the world."

"Oh dear."

"I mean," Nadai explained as she fired another arrow. This one hit, and the gecko froze in place. "Instead of freaking out, you've been really helpful. And you've been talking to us this whole fight. Before you would have freaked out and would have been in the way."

"Extremely in the way." Link said. "But you have been helpful. You might not know everything about Termina like we, –"

"Link," Nadai warned him.

" – like we would like," Link finished. "But you are extremely observant."

He stopped talking to attack the gecko as it hit the ground, its legs frozen from Nadai's arrow. It seemed that the gecko had been controlling the jellyfish mentally, and without its master the jellyfish wandered aimlessly. Nadai was free to attack.

They made short work of the gecko, and retrieved a key from it.

"And there's the boss key."

"Let's go back to that waterwheel room." Tatl said. "We can go from there."

Using the same technique from before, Link took Nadai and swam them back. The poison inherently in the water hurt, and he could feel the sting as the water touched his blood on his chest. He ignored it the best he could, and got them back to the catwalk above the water.

They returned to the water wheel room, where they found that the red switch had been activated, and there was a jet of water flowing from the red pipe.

"Trying turning off the yellow pipe for now."

"Didn't you say that we needed all the pipes on for us to find the boss?" Link asked.

Tatl nodded. "Yes. But look at the water. Red and yellow are directly in conflict. If we turn off the yellow pipe, wouldn't the water be in reverse?"

"So?"

"And what if we changed the direction then for that central room?" Tatl continued. "The green pipes were in there, we need to go that way anyway."

"I… right. Let's try it out." Link said dejectedly. He had missed the red pipes before, and now these green pipes? He needed to work on his observation skills.

He turned off the yellow switch, and they went back to the central chamber. Looking down, they could see that the water inside had indeed switched directions. Now that he was actively searching for it, he could see a lone green pipe entrance midway down below him.

"See it?" Nadai asked.

"Yeah." He jumped down, and led the way to the green pipe.

The green entrance made its way to a room with a large air pocket, with a waterfall at one side. The green pipe went up past the waterfall.

"Where too? Cause I don't think we can swim up the waterfall."

"I could try freezing it?" Nadai suggested.

"I'm ready to try anything."

Using an ice arrow, Nadai froze the waterfall. Behind it was a lone ladder that ran all the way up. They climbed the ladder and came up just as the waterfall resumed itself. There was a green switch there, and they activated it. They followed the ladder up to the next room.

Inside that next room was a pair of see saws, with waterfalls coming from the ceiling that fell on different sides of the see saws. On the far side of the room, on the other side of the see saws, was the last green switch.

"So we activate the see saws to make a stairway up to the green switch. And in order to do that, we need to use the waterfalls to our advantage."

"You go to that side," Nadai pointed to what would be the lowest position, "I'll get you up there."

Using the fire and the ice arrows, Nadai froze and unfroze the waterfalls. This allowed Link's natural weight and the force of the water to move the see saw sides in the right position. It took some doing, but soon enough Link was standing at the top of platform moving the last green switch.

He was panting, and tried not to show it. The poison in the water was affecting more than he originally thought. He hid it well as he followed Nadai back out to the central chamber. He took hold of her and swam back out of the whirlpool and they returned to the water wheel.

They restarted the yellow switch, and now all three pipes were flowing water.

"So now what?"

"We go back to the central chamber and find Majora's General." Tatl said.

"And where's that?"

"Dunno."

They went back to the central chamber and looked down. The water was clear and calm. With all three currents flowing, the whirlpool was no more and they could look all the way down. It was only when they could see all the way down the vast expanse that they could see that there was a small entrance the size of a person by the grate.

"It has to be down there." Tatl said.

"We would never have been able to see it with that whirlpool in the way." Link nodded. "Ready?"

"Are you?"

"Of course."

"The poison in the water is affecting you, isn't it?"

"Of course not."

"Don't lie to me."

"…Just a little."

"We should get you healed up first."

"I'm fine."

"Sit."

"I'm fine."

"I said sit."

Link was about to protest, but Nadai was already digging around in her pack. She came out with a bottle and bandages.

"Don't bother with the bandages, they'll just restrict my movement,"

"The salve won't stick then." She pressed down on his chest, easing him to sit down on the catwalk above the water. "I used this stuff on you already, its fine."

"And where did you get that?"

"It was the Gerudo boat. I used it when you were unconscious before I started rowing us back."

"Oh."

They were quiet as she applied the salve and the bandages. It stung against his chest, and he didn't wince. He had worse pains over the years, this was nothing in comparison. She finished tying off the bandage behind his back and repackaged her bag.

"You are getting more like Lost everyday." He said. "She could heal too."

"If I'm becoming more like Lost, then you should be more like Wanderer."

"And how's that?"

"Listen to me more."

He laughed, which was harder now that he was bandaged. "Maybe," he smiled. "Now, let's go."

They dived into the water, and the two of them aimed for the grate. They went in one at a time into the small tunnel. They came up in a small room with an air pocket and a door. Nadai slipped the key in the lock, and they entered the room.

Like the other two temples they had been in, this too was the inner chamber for worshipping the giants. A series of platforms just far enough for someone to jump across was strewn about haphazardly around the room. Water stretched far below them, and they could see a giant fish rivalling Jabu-Jabu below.

The monster came up, destroying the platform below them. Link and Nadai twisted in midair and landed on separate platforms. The fish turned to them. It was black with purple veins. A large pair of eyes dominated the face, over an equally large mouth filled with teeth the size of swords. A loose mask that didn't seem to move sat over the eyes.

"Yep, that's definitely the general." Link nodded. "Ideas?"

"Distract it!" Tatl called out. "Nadai, hit the mask!"

"What, I'm just a sideshow?" Link feigned pain at the instructions.

The monster came at him, and he jumped onto another platform at the last second. He grinned. He kept his gaze on the monster. It moved fast enough that it would be hard to dodge it if he was in the water. Or maybe not if he went super-fast. Of course why would he do that when whenever the monster hit a platform, and destroyed it, it would slow down?

Nadai aimed her bow. "Fire or ice?"

"I don't know," Tatl answered. "Up to you. Just hit that mask!"

She took aim, and started firing arrows in rapid succession at the mask. Each little hit on the mask didn't do much damage, but a lot of it managed to distract the monster from Link. Just as the general turned to Nadai, Link jumped at the monster's side and struck with his fins. Restricted as he was with the bandage, he couldn't deliver as painful a hit to it as he would like to. But a hit was a hit and the monster definitely felt the pain.

The fish turned and Link was thrown back. He landed on a platform and darted away, distracting the fish with his body. Nadai kept up her stream of arrows, pausing every so often to charge one up with ice or fire. The added elements didn't do much more damage, at least from what Nadai could tell.

They continued in this game for quite some time, until Link fell into the water. There wasn't any more platforms he could jump too. There were some things on the edge of the room, and where Nadai was, but it was far too far away for him to get to. He sped up, and swam away. The fish monster was on his heels. With its larger size, one would expect that it would be slower than normal. It was in fact faster than either Link or Nadai expected.

However, Zoras are faster than that.

Even with the fish moving faster than expected, Nadai aimed properly with the bow. She had a lifetime of experience using one, being trained by the Gerudos at a young age, and having used one from the beginning of her adult life. With that experience under her belt, it allowed her to keep on hitting the mask.

There was definite damage to the mask, though it was something miniscule. She needed something stronger and heavier to cause real damage to the miniscule cracks in the mask. The monster roared under the water, causing a ripple of bubbles that masked everything from view. When the bubbles cleared, Nadai could see again.

Link had retreated far below the water and the fish had followed. And if Nadai wasn't mistaken, there were a lot of tiny little fishes following him. She frowned as she saw Link grimace. The bandage she had put on him was slipping, due to her inexperience. The salve was going to be washed away, and the poison would be hurting him even more.

She had to finish this quickly, before he succumbed to his wounds or his exhaustion. But the boss was far below the water now, and her arrows has no hope hitting the mask at that depth. She watched in frustration until Link came out of the water. He landed on a platform a long ways away from her.

"Fuck!"

"What is it?"

"The thing brought piranhas to the party." Several bite marks leaked red blood even visible despite the business.

"What!"

"Just hurry it up, I don't know how long I can distract this thing."

The water around the platform rippled as the piranhas came to surface. Then the platform rose from the water and broke as the giant fish hit it and rose out of the water. Link flew forward.

"I need something stronger to hit it!"

"Use the Hookshot, you dummy!" Link shouted back.

Nadai could feel the blush rising to her cheeks. How could she forget about their new weapon? She unhooked it from her belt and took aim at the fish as it fell at Link, still in midair. Link hit the water and swam as fast as he could despite his injuries. She adjusted her aim for the Hookshot's speed, and fired.

The metal end of the Hookshot stabbed the mask with frightening accuracy, and the monster roared as a large crack appeared in the mask. Link practically flew through the water to Nadai. She reeled in the Hookshot, and fired again. It hit again, making another large crack.

"One more!" Tatl shouted. "One more!"

Nadai fired again. This time, a piranha cloud blocked the shot. She retracted the Hookshot. "I need them out of my way!"

"You need more weight!" Tatl shouted back. "Use that last button!"

Link jumped out of the water and landed next to her. "I ain't moving no more." He panted. "Ouch."

Nadai planted her feet, and aimed at the mask. It was fifty feet away and closing fast. She fired, and pressed the third button. Angry looking spikes came out of the chain. With the added weight of the chains, and the damaging effect they had, they tore through the cloud of piranhas blocking Majora's General.

The final shot slammed into the mask, destroying it as it pierced an eye of the fish. The fish howled in pain, and the room shook. Nadai retracted the thing, careful to keep the chain as far from Link as possible with the spikes like it was.

"There's that blue circle!" Tatl pointed next to Link. "Let's get out of here before it hits us!"

Just as Nadai moved to Link to help him to the circle she fell and blacked out.

Wang: Yay! They are so cute!

Static: I wouldn't use that word to describe them.

Wang: Cute!

Static: ...

Wang: Please Review!


	17. Chapter 17

Shadow: Short one this week.

Wang: Aww...

Shadow: We don't own a thing.

Chapter 17: Panic

They came to on a misty field. They had their ears already covered when the Giant came and spoke to them. In the loud rumbling, it went on and on and on. When it was finally finished, it hummed to them the song that they had learned a long time ago with their first meeting with the Giants.

"This one thanks you guys again. We defeated a general called Gyorg. This was a particularly vicious general from the sounds of it. He then requests to rescue his brothers and to play the song to call them to help."

"Same info as before." Link grunted in pain. He was still badly injured.

"We'll wake up as the monster is coming towards us, right?"

"Right."

"Then we have to roll back time and quick." Tatl said. "You guys better get –"

"—ready." Tatl finished as they came to back in Termina.

Gyorg's body was rushing towards them, with a whole host of piranhas in its wake. Nadai's fingers flew quickly to her flute, and she played the Song of Time. Link reached out through the haze of pain to grab onto her ankle, and Tatl flew and grabbed onto a strand of Nadai's hair.

Time went backwards for them. Link's wounds healed and the poison left his body. It seemed that all of the worry and pain that they had been holding onto melted away. Reappearing in the basement of the old Clocktower, they were whole and clean once more.

"Did you see that blue circle?" Nadai asked.

"I did." Link stood up and took off the Zora mask, turning back into his normal self. "I don't get it though. That always led us to the Sacred Realm."

"And we're in Termina. That can't be it."

"Strange." Tatl flew about. "I feel, strange."

"In a good way?" Nadai asked.

"Yeah. Like I'm about to finish something great."

"One more giant and we can stop Majora. So yes, we're close to ending this all." Link stretched his shoulders. "So we go to the Canyon then?"

"That's in the east." Tatl nodded.

"There was a wind blowing that way, it should be faster to get there than before."

"There's been a wind blowing east for all three days we've been here." Nadai smirked. "And it's going to stay that way forever."

"Well, then let's get going." He turned to Nadai and paused. "Uh, you going to put your clothes back on?"

She looked down. She still wore the Gerudo Diving Suit. "I still have this?"

"Anything we carry must go back in time with us." Link shrugged. He winced involuntarily. "And I think that includes the pain."

"You feel it too?" Nadai absently rubbed at the back of one leg with her foot. The damage from Goht was still a dull ache in her bones. Less now, but still present if she thought about it.

"I think that while we get healed, it's not complete." Link sighed. "The more damage we take, the more we feel it later on. We better be careful."

"Look at you being all wise and all." Nadai smiled. "Give me a sec to get dressed. I'll meet you outside."

Link went outside, and looked up at the sky. He breathed in deep. It felt good to breathe the clean air, even if it was in the middle of a city. He could get used to breathing here. But he had to find Navi first. Unless Navi was meant to be gone. After all, if he and Nadai were becoming Wanderer and Lost, would that mean that Navi was truly gone? She was, after all, not present with their future selves in the future. What had happened to Navi?

"Ready?"

"I think," Link said slowly, "That maybe Navi was meant to leave."

Nadai paused. "What makes you think that."

"If we are turning into Wanderer and Lost, then where was Navi in the future?"

"Oh."

"She wasn't with the future us, and she from the past was with the us from the past. Either she is hiding and we aren't meant to find her, or…" He paused. "Whatever the case, I think that when all of this is done, we should…"

"I understand." Nadai put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll follow your lead."

"Thank you." He wiped away some tears and got out his ocarina. "Let's get going."

They played the Song of Soaring, and went up into the air. They reoriented themselves before flying off. To the north, Link could see Tingle slowly rising in the air. He felt a flash of anger and turned to the east. Off to the far east, just north of the forest, was a large expanse of dark brown. There was a large divot between the mountains to the north and the forest to the south. That must be where the canyon was, and where the last temple was located.

They flew east, and aided by the wind they made good time. They came close to the edge of the canyon when they came upon a hut. Outside was a giant. It wasn't the giants whom they were trying to recruit and save, this was a giant on a different scale. It was about the size of the Clocktower. It was bandaged and wrapped like a Re-Dead, but the bandages were haphazardly around it. Below the giant was a young girl with dark brown hair running in front of it.

Nadai could tell even at that distance that the girl was crying.

She went down, and Link had little choice but to follow. They came up next to the girl, and landed on the ground. She turned to them, eyes wide with tears.

"Help! Please help papa!"

"Where is he?"

Link got up off the ground, (another poor landing, again!,) and readied himself in front of the girl. "What is this thing!"

The girl pointed to the giant. "That's Pamela's Papa!"

"What?" Link shouted out. "How can he be your dad?"

Nadai shot him a look. "He has to be cursed, right?"

Tatl nodded. "I think so. There was a hermit and a daughter her when Skull Kid and Tael and I visited a while ago. Did he get cursed?"

"If he's cursed then we should heal him." Nadai took out her flute.

Link was about to do the same when the giant attacked. His Fairy Ocarina hit the ground as he defended with the Hylian Shield. He grunted in pain as he held the blow.

"Play the song! While I distract him!"

Nadai's hands flew over the Fairy Flute, and played the Song of Healing. The giant hit Link again and he went to one knee. The song didn't work. She played again. The giant had to succumb at one point, right?

Link cried out in pain as the Hylian Shield splintered with the next three blows. Defenseless, he flung the remainder of the shield at the giant's face. It struck him in the eyes, and Link blinked. He had never been good with long ranged attacks, so it was a miracle that he was able to hit the head, much less the eyes.

Nadai played the song again, and this time it worked. The giant howled in pain, and slowly shrunk in size. It took a good ten minutes, but by the end of it a man with a large nose and dark red freckles stood where the giant had. A large bruise dominated one eye, and his dark hair covered the other one.

The man fell to the ground in pain, and a mask hit the ground. It was depicted in the style of a Re-Dead, and Nadai shivered as she saw it. When the man hit the ground Pamela ran up to him.

"Papa!"

"Pamela? Where…what?"

"You were cursed." Nadai helped Link to his feet.

"What? I was…cursed?"

"Yeah." Link helped the older man to his feet. "Several stories tall and angry to boot."

"I…I'm terribly sorry." The man rubbed at his head. "I'm an inventor, and I live so far out here because it helps to not cause a scene. But it looks like I didn't do so well with that."

"I'm just glad we were able to help before you did any real damage."

Link looked at the remnants of his shield. "Yea, same."

"What were ye two doing so far east from Clocktown?"

"We need to go to the temple."

"Visitors from Hyrule rarely come to Termina was thoughts of going this far east."

"Let's just say we have a job to do over here."

The man followed Link's gaze to the broken shards of the Hylian Shield. "Let me help ye two." He smiled as best he could, but it came out more as a grimace. "It's the least I can do."

"We'll take what we can." Nadai smiled.

"Pamela, darling, go and start the fire." The young girl ran off towards the canyon. "Our house is close by. Let me give ye some provisions before ye go much further.

That was when Link and Nadai realized that they hadn't eaten in goddess's knows when. Nadai and the inventor went first. Link hesitated a moment. The curse that had cursed the inventor had become a mask. Dare he use it? He pocketed the Re-Dead mask and his ocarina and hurried to catch up with the others.

At the inventor's one-room hut, cups and bowls of coldish stew was laid out for them when they got there. Pamela was cutting up bread and cheese for them as well.

"Take as much as ye want. After this meal, we're going back to the town for the festival."

"It's probably safer there, right papa?"

"Safer?" Nadai looked up long enough from the stew to glance at Link. "What's been going on?"

"Things are pretty strange around here." The inventor explained. "There's something wrong from the temple. It's like it's calling all the evil in the area over to it."

"Evil?"

"There used to be a kingdom here, the Ikana Kingdom. There was a massive war here ages ago. And with that the Ikana Kingdom and those that lived here was destroyed. The survivors made Clocktown after that."

"So what, the armies of the dead are rising from the grave?"

"That's exactly it."

"That doesn't sound good at all." Link looked at the man. "And let me guess, this army of the dead is in front of the temple?"

"Close to it. The temple entrance is blocked off by conventional means. There's a singular path to it from the canyon floor, but it goes through the old Ikana Castle."

"Sounds like fun." Link finished his bowl. "We should hurry then."

"Ye still plan on going?" The inventor asked.

"Of course." Nadai smiled. "We have to."

The man shook his head. "Then let me show ye the backway inside the castle."

"Backway? Is there a second entrance?"

"It's close by." The man got up. "But before I show ye, let me help."

"Help?"

"I have a shield for ye, boy."

"A shield?" He perked a bit. "Hm?"

"Yer shield, it broke when I hit it, right?"

"It did."

"Let me give ye something I've been working on." He stood up. "Pamela, darling, can ye pack them some food? Then start packing yer things. When I come back we're leaving."

"Yes, papa."

He went over the fireplace, and pulled down a mirror. He blew on it, and a wide array of dust and soot came off of it. Using the edge of one sleeve he cleaned off the surface. He handed it to Link.

"I made the surface itself. Polish it right, and it can shine brighter than any light if ye point it right."

Link held up the Mirror Shield. "It's light."

"And strong too. Should be as strong as steel. Or stronger than it, I think."

Link smiled. "I'll take it, thanks." He slipped it on his back. "Let's get going."

Nadai took the sacks of food from the girl, and the three of them went off. They walked for about an hour until they came to a small stream trickling away. Things were becoming steadily browner and deader as they went further east. It was clear that the land was dead, and abandoned of all life save for what evil was being awakened.

"Go up this stream and ye should find a cave. That cave system was used as part of the sewers for the Ikana Kingdom. Ye should be able to avoid most of the monsters and evil spirits if ye go that way. There's some diverging paths in that cave, but follow the water. There should be an underground lake in there somewhere. Ye'll come out in a well in the courtyard. It's long since dried out, and it should prove useful for ye guys if ye want to get in."

"Sounds like a good plan." Nadai smiled at the man. "Get out of here."

"Stay safe." He nodded at them. "And thank ye, for saving me."

"Of course."

Link looked over the man's shoulder and spotted a far distant red dot. His stomach churned. It was Tingle's balloon. In such a short time he had crossed about half of Termina Field on the way to the east; and that was just with wind power alone.

"Let's hurry." He smiled quickly at the man. "Safe travels."

Without another word he hoisted his shield and went up stream. Nadai hurried behind him quickly, and the man went back home.

Time Stop: As you can see, things are diverging more and more from the original game the further we get in the story.

Static: Just like what happened for our last fic.

Time Stop: So, this one's short but needed. Our heroes need a break of craziness for what's to come.

Wang: What's to come?

Time Stop: ...

Static: Please Review!


End file.
